The Prince of the Orichalcos
by Angel's Nocturne
Summary: NO LONGER CONTINUING. AU He was cursed by the Orichalcos, saved by the Puzzle. Prince Yami slept for many years, but Prince Yugi solved the puzzle,and he finds both danger and the love of one brunette YYxAChp.16 up
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _Well, all you fanfiction readers out there, it's time for Angel's Nocturne (that be me) to bring out her second story! This is the first pre-written fanfic I made (Revival of the Heart was second) and I only hope that you can enjoy it just as much!_

#2 Author's Note: _Everything will be in italics, since this a prologue and revolves more around being the back story than anything._

**The Prince of Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Prologue: Fairy of the Well**

_Once upon a time, nestled between the greenest forest and the tallest mountains, a small kingdom laid quiet and content in a lush valley. It was a flourishing little kingdom that had many alliances with other neighboring kingdoms, and was known for their rich supply of natural resources; however, the king and queen of the land felt not the joy of their happy subjects but the sadness and longing in their hearts._

_They wanted a child, a babe to call their own. Everyday they wished and prayed, but as each unsuccessful day passed they began to give up hope. That is, until they met the ancient fairy of the well…._

_One day, while the king was taking his usual walk around the villages of his kingdom-disguised as a peddler so as not to draw attention- he overheard a group of merchants in the village marketplace ranting about a magical well as if it were a sacred jewel, saying that throwing a gold coin into the well made a divine fairy appear before the coin-thrower._

"_I saw her with my own eyes!" exclaimed one man. "A beautiful fairy she is indeed. She can grant any wish you ask. I asked for a bountiful harvest for my family's farm, and look!" He moved aside to show the men his wagon; it overflowed with fresh squashes, beans, peas, carrots, and onions. The other merchants gawked at the marvel with envy as the young man spoke again. "As you can see, she works miracles! If you don't believe me, go into the forest and see for yourselves!"_

_The king, listening to the whole conversation, was amazed at the powers that this "fairy" in the well possessed. He was so impressed that he suddenly had an idea: if the fairy of the well can grant any wish, then it can grant him his wish of finally having a son. _

_Overjoyed with this thought, he hurried back to the castle to tell his queen the incredible news._

_---_

_The next day, disguised as lowly peasants, the king and queen traveled into the forest in search of the ancient well the merchants spoke so highly of the day before. The queen, just like her husband, became excited and hopeful at the idea her king gave to her. She was too desperate to wait a single moment, and the king was thrilled to know that she had agreed._

_After an hour or two of searching, a tired but still determined king and queen found what appeared to be the ancient well. It stood in the center of a clearing, waiting and watching. The old cobblestone walls had many cracks along it its surface, and the bucket that sat next to it was worn and became the home of some weeds and ivy- a telltale signs of its age. Carefully, as though a single wrong move could destroy the well ands their chances, the royal couple walked up to the well's rim. The king pulled out a gold coin from his pocket, and allowed his wife to drop the coin into the dark abyss that was the well._

_After many long seconds, the two heard the coin splashed into the water below. Before either of them could even blink a golden glow was emitted from the well's bottom, startling the king and queen and throwing them back. When they returned to their feet, they were amazed to find a woman sitting on the rim of the well, looking directly at them. Or at least she looked like a woman, as she seemed to emanate a strong magical aura that she couldn't possibly human. The "creature" that stared back had sharp, green eyes that glowed like emeralds against her pale, smooth skin. Her hair surrounded her head like a waterfall of the night, and her garments were that of golden silk that sparkled far brighter than the purest metal._

"_King and Queen of the kingdom not far", spoke the fairy, her voice rich and flowing. "You travel here to ask of me a wish. What is it that your heart desires?"_

"_Please" pleaded the queen. "Please, could you grant our wish and give us a son?"_

_The fairy smiled with delight. "A son, eh? Well, that can be arranged." The king and Queen embraced each other at the joy of their fortune. "But first" interrupted the fairy, "you must promise me that I will be invited to your son's blessing ceremony as an honored guest, and that I am allowed to bless him first."_

_Too desperate in their wanting of a child, the king and queen accepted her demands without hesitation. Nine months later, their first son was born, and the kingdom cheered for their future ruler. The child was named Yami, and as the blessing ceremony came closer and closer, the fairy of the well was unfortunately forgotten._

_---_

_When the day of the blessing ceremony and Yami's first birthday arrived, the kingdom was at its most beautiful. The streets were clean, the homes spotless, and the great throne room was filled with all the villagers, knights, merchants, and lords of the kingdom, all for Prince Yami's honor. The royal chefs cooked the finest, most fabulous foods that mortals could eat, the royal performers danced and entertained with their most divine show outside the palace, and the royal artist worked his hardest to create a portrait of the royal family. His picture was the grandest in all the land, so beautiful that all who stared into it could almost fell as if they were there in the party at that very moment._

_Thought the dancers were great, the food extraordinary, and the artist incredible, no one could find anything more magical than the young Prince himself. Little Yami sat in a cradle made of silk and pure cotton, cherry wood and oak. He was clothed in silk from head to toe, and all around him stuffed animals made by the finest toy makers gave him protection. His skin was a sweet peach color, while his hair was spiked around his head in black with a reddish-purple outline; golden bangs wildly spread out around his forehead, failing to hide his large amethyst eyes. All the guests praised the beautiful child, and none could find a baby more enchanting than he._

_Some time after the parties had started, the King announced that it was almost time for the blessing ceremony. In an instant the room grew silent, and everyone listened intently. With the most perfect timing, the giant doors that marked the entrance to the castle swung open effortlessly as though by magic. Entering the castle, twelve women clad in all kinds of colors glided across the room towards the family, their sharp magical eyes focused on the cradle. All eyes followed the group of fairies in awe, waiting for them to finally land in front of the king's throne. In what felt like a minute to eternity, all twelve fairies floated down before the royal family, and nodded their heads to the king in respect. He bowed his in return._

_The eldest fairy, dressed in a night blue cloak and ebony dress spoke to the king, but her wise eyes watched Yami. "So this is the young Prince" said the fairy, her voice a whisper in the wind. "He is a beautiful child… almost fey-like." The ancient eyes of the fairy traveled towards the king's eyes, and they held a somewhat nervous look to them. She returned her gaze to the prince. "I give thee the first blessing: Bravery!"_

_At her words, a soft golden glow appeared upon Yami's small forehead; the Millennium Symbol glowed upon his skin, the essence of a blessing on a child. Yami giggled with delight._

_The second eldest fairy appeared before the infant prince; she was dressed in a bright yellow gown adorned with sapphires, and her hair was a warm chestnut brown, where as her older sister's hair was ebony like the night. "I bless thee with wit and cleverness!" Once again a soft glow appeared, and the Millennium Symbol shone brighter on Yami's forehead._

_Each fairy went in turn, going from the eldest to the youngest, giving little Yami a blessing. "I bless thee with talent!" said one, and, "I bless thee with a kind heart!" spoke another. Friendship, kindness, talent, bravery, wit intelligence, good judgment, happiness, strength, and majesty were given to him, and by the eleventh blessing the Millennium symbol shimmered like a small star within little Yami's cradle._

_Finally, it was time for the twelfth fairy's blessing; after her blessing was complete, Yami's ceremony would be finished, and his birthday celebration would begin. The last fairy stood in the back, awaiting her turn to arrive. She was clad in a silver cloak with black trim, and a dress of white- white that was brighter than both snow and a dove's wing- with diamonds lining the edge of her skirt. She had long blonder hair that cascaded over her shoulders like gold water, and on her freckled face sat a pair of gold-rimmed glasses of a cerulean tint. The little fairy was about to walk forward, towards the prince's cradle, when a dark energy suddenly entered the palace._

_All turned about to see this entity, whose cold darkness enveloped the room in seconds. The creature wore a black cloak and dress, with ebony lace that enhanced her pale white skin. Framing her face, her glossy black hair slithered around her body, and to the king and queen's horror, she had the most piercing green eyes anyone had ever seen. It was the fairy from the well, and she did not appear in the least bit pleasant._

_She walked elegantly forward, closer and closer towards the baby. Everyone, even the fairies, moved aside, afraid of the wrath of the witch-fairy. Soon she stood over the cradle, her icy white hands clenching her long black tightly. She coldly glanced at the king and queen; they shuddered at the hatred in her eyes._

"_Look what happens when you forget your promises", seethed the witch, her voice no longer soft and smooth like honey, but cold and vengeful. "You pitiful rulers, always forgetting to thank your heroes, those in the backdrop helping out. You wouldn't even have a son if I hadn't granted your wish!"_

_The eldest fairy's eyes grew wide with terror and despair. "You… that child is fey! It is not your own- you wished for it!" breathed the fairy harshly. "He is of fey blood! You have cursed us all!"(A/N: fey is like fairy or magic). _

"_That is so" whispered the witch. Her gaze turned once more to little Yami. "Child of mine, I bless thee now! Child of the Shadows let the dark become one with your soul!" At that instant, she pointed the jeweled staff at young Yami, the emerald at its top emitting a malicious green glow. The Millennium symbol vanished from prince Yami's forehead and was then replaced by a circular green seal: the Seal of Orichalcos. Yami cried out in pain as the seal completed itself, and his eyes turned red with evil. "On thee's sixteenth birthday, the evil shall be released, destroying this pathetic kingdom. Then thee shall serve alongside me as a servant of darkness, obeying me without fail in the destruction of all life!"_

_She cackled loudly and darkly, as above them the ceiling became a swirling vortex of black clouds and lightening, while fierce gales whipped about them. The witch chortled even louder at their fear._

"_Be it known, townsfolk of this kingdom, that your future ruler, Prince Yami, is a slave to the darkness. Let your fate now be written, for fifteen years from now you will all be turned to stone!" The witch suddenly vanished into the vortex above, taking with her the winds and storm; her laugh, however, failed to vanish as it echoed through the quiet, dismal banquet hall. The Seal slowly disappeared, sinking into Yami's skin, and his eyes changed back to their magnificence amethyst selves. He stared about in wonderment, and then fell into a peaceful slumber._

"_How could you" hissed the eldest fairy. All the fairy folk glared at the king and queen, disgusted by their actions, except for the youngest fairy who watched the sleeping prince. "You have brought ruin upon the world. That was Luna of the Dark Sun, the witch of all hell, the fairy of the shadowed night! That child is made from her, a part of her. It is he, who we must fear now!"_

_The crowd of villagers roared in agreement at the fairy's statement. Some men grabbed torches off the walls, while others grasped the swords in their sheaths. "Death to the prince!" cried a lone farmer, and soon the whole herd of them charged towards the royal family, ready to strike._

"_Wait!" a voice shouted from somewhere in the castle; it was so commanding yet pleading that the angry mob stopped to listen to the voice of reason, only to see the youngest fairy blocking them from reaching the little prince._

"_Sister, why are you protecting the cursed prince?" asked the eldest fairy, her once keen blue eyes muddled with fury. "It will kill us all for sure, if we are not to stop the evil now! Do us a favor and kill it! KILL IT NOW!"_

"_No sister" spoke the young fairy, her voice calm and sure. "Have you not noticed that I have not made a blessing upon this child? Perhaps my magic can save us!"_

"_No Rebecca!" shouted another of her sisters. "Did you not see the curse that Luna laid upon the prince? The Seal of Orichalcos cannot be broken by mere fairy enchantment! We are doomed!"_

"_Can't we try, sister?" shouted Rebecca in a vicious reply. "I wish to try something else! I know I cannot break the seal's power, but there are other ways to skin a calf, if you now what I mean. Besides, I still have yet to bless him."_

_Before her sisters could react, Rebecca turned towards the cradle. Yami, awakened by the ranting of the fairies, met eyes with Rebecca; she smiled, for he was indeed a beautiful child, and to her it would be a shame to let such beauty leave this earth before first leaving its mark. In the softest voice she could muster, she closed her big blue eyes, and began to chant._

_Though it was in her softest, quietest voice, the incantation filled the hall, bouncing about and swirling around. With it, the young fairy's chest began to glow with a golden light, as well as Yami's forehead. Between the two a gold object began to form, taking shape into what appeared to be an upside-down pyramid- the Millennium Puzzle. Rebecca chanted louder and louder, her voice a melody that grew in strength. As her voice became more powerful the puzzle started to appear more real; the golden puzzle's liquid form transformed into that of a solid object. She sang louder and faster, faster and louder, until the sound of the chant was that of a wavering note, and the Millennium Puzzle floated through the air as thought tied to a jumpy puppeteer. At long last, Rebecca finally froze in the air, right above Yami's head, and once again the infant prince giggled with delight and awe._

_Out of nowhere Rebecca produced a box from under her cloak; it was gold just like the puzzle, and it had markings all over its surface. Oddly, she held the box underneath the floating puzzle as if it could drop onto Yami at any second._

"_Little Prince of this kingdom, I bless thee now", Rebecca said aloud. "I bless thee with this pendant, the Millennium Puzzle, for it will protect thee from the Fairy of the Shadowed Night, Luna of the Dark Sun." She removed the lid from the box. "When so the day comes that she will bring forth the darkness in thee, thou will become her servant but will instead fall into a long sleep that will last and last, until the chosen one comes to the castle and solves the Millennium Puzzle, and when you face the Dark Witch again, may thee… triumph."_

_With that the Millennium Puzzle shattered into many pieces, and fell into the golden box that Rebecca held. Immediately Rebecca sealed the box with its lid, and with a sigh of relief she fainted beside the cradle, having used so much of her energy to conjure up the Millennium Puzzle._

"_Sister!" shouted the fairies as they rushed to their younger sibling's side, hustling about to lift her up. The eldest one, whose focus was entirely on Rebecca, turned back once again to the king and queen, who only looked back with disbelief. She frowned unkindly._

"_May he be worthy of this" she whispered, and so flew off with the other twelve fairies of the woods, carrying their little sister with them._

_In their leaving, the fairies gave the couple the magic box which housed the blessing of the twelfth fairy. In most regret, the worried king and queen watched their child sleep within his cradle in hopes that the whole incident could be forgiven, and forgotten._

_They never knew how wrong they were, until the very end._

---

Author's Note: _Aah and the prologue does end, finally! I'm typing this from a pre-written notebook version, so it takes me a while to get it on paper, since it's easier for me to write spontaneously instead of from other material._

_So R x R me soon, please? I promise that this story will be long (just like Revival of the Heart has been so far) and I will try to juggle this and other stories in the future, so don't get mad if I don't update right away! I will try, I promise!_

_So, um, see ya'll soon!_


	2. Sweet Sixteenth

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _Well, with the prologue all said and done, it's time to start chapter 2! If you are reading this and you don't review me, I will be very sad… so please review or else the authoress will have to take happy pills… or chocolate, which is one of the best anti-depressants out there in my book. And cookie dough… well, you get the point!_

_Well, here are the responses that I shall give to my reviews, since the number is still quiet small and I can remember who reviewed me… I get mixed up with large numbers._

**_Maridel_: **_Yes, I will try to keep up with both fic, don't worry about that! Glad to see you like this story too!_

_**Blood Red Tenshi**: Cool name! And I am glad you think this a good fic! It will get better, I promise!_

_**Errant of the Violent Shockers:**Yeah, I got you too! Thank you! I'm glad that you love thisfic! THanks for the review!_

#2 Author's Note: _Thoughts will be italics, and words spoken in a dream will be in italics but will have the "" signs around them. Enjoy!_

**The Prince of Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 1: Sweet Sixteenth**

_It started as a simple summer morning, with the shimmering sun rising over the mountains in the east, and the sky melting into the sweet blue color of the day. Morning dew sparkled on the sleeping grass, and it was almost time for the never-appreciated call of the royal rooster_... _but to much surprise, where is the rooster? If any villager had to know, they would unwillingly hear the gruesome detail of its demise: death by laughter, sad to say. All within the mischief of the two most beloved boys in the kingdom._

_Let the mischief_... _begin_.

---

"Yes!" Yami shouted as he shot down the mountain. Today was the perfect day: the sun was overhead, the morning dew was fresh and cool, and the mountain surfing was the best yet. Yami twisted his board off a small cliff, performing bountiful spins and flips, before landing on the rocky mountainside effortlessly.

He grinned with satisfaction. "A perfect one that time, right Kaiba?" he yelled from his board to a figure on his left.

"Whatever. Watch this!" Kaiba suddenly threw his body across his board, his head sitting right on the front rim. Flying off a cliff, Kaiba jumped up, twisted into a strange pose, recovered his board, and landed in a way that made it almost seem simple. He tossed a look at Yami, who returned the look with a smirk.

"Well, since _you_ seem so confident this morning" Kaiba announced, "why don't we make a bet! Whoever wins in a race has the loser clean his room!" Yami nodded, an pleasurable smile on his face. "Alright then, let's go!"

The two chaotically sped towards the foot of the mountain, gaining speed. By then, all the village folk were awake and watching, seeing as the rooster was out of business, and the two boys were making quite a commotion. Some had the nerve to cheer for one of the two, placing bets upon the one said to win. Others simply watched, wondering at the outcome of this new competition.

"Go, Seto, GO!" a small, raven-haired boy yelled from one of the high towers in the castle. Mokuba shouted and cheered from his perch with all his might, until finally he couldn't scream anymore from the over-use of his voice.

"Hmph! I'll see you at the finish line, 'Prince'!" Kaiba shouted as he sped past Yami towards the bottom.

"Not if I see you there first!" Yami replied as he too gained speed to catch up with Kaiba. The air was thick with wonder as the two teens pushed for speed, inching just past their opponent only to have them inch ahead as well. Soon the foot of the mountain was speeding towards them like a brick wall, ready to flatten them. With no fear, the racers flew to the boulder that they called their marker, and just as it seemed that Yami had the upper hand-

Kaiba won the race.

The dust clouds came up just after they past the marker, but it was almost unclear who the winner was. However, it was just so that Kaiba, by a hair, managed to beat the prince in their little wager.

The clouds eventually cleared, and a beaming Kaiba stood atop the marker stone, his face full of pride. The crowd cheered as Kaiba gave a wave to the crowd, and then jumped off the boulder to catch up with Yami, who was already heading for the castle.

"Yami… hold on, damnit!" Kaiba shouted as he tried to catch up. "Don't tell me you're a sore loser just because I beat you fair and square. Lighten up."

Yami turned around to face him and smirked. "You know I'm no sore loser, Kaiba. I'm just giving you a moment for your victory. After all, it won't last long."

Kaiba's face turned from semi-happy to indifferent and cold. "You still think you can beat me after I just surpassed you in your best sport? You must be delusional, 'Your Highness'" he said in a mocking tone.

"One defeat in a pool of victory, Kaiba" Yami replied coolly. "Besides, you haven't defeated me in Duel Monsters yet, so until then, don't start doing any victory dances."

"Don't get cocky! I know I can beat you!" Kaiba shouted detestably, but Yami was already returning to the palace. He glanced at Kaiba, stuck out his tongue, and then vanished behind the castle walls.

---

Sen Real: the name for the highest tower in the castle. Yami enjoyed sitting on the balcony at the top, watching the world from so high up, especially during the transitions between night and day, day and night. Standing on the Sen Real (A/N: I pronounce it zen ree-al) one can see the sun as it first rises over the mountain tops, and one can be the last to watch it sink below the treetops of the forests.

Yami went up to Sen Real to gain wisdom and some peace of mind; after all, where else was it better to gain knowledge than a place that one can see all, or where better to gain peace than where no one else ventured? To Yami, this logic seemed reasonable enough to make Sen Real his favorite place; in fact, he decided to make it his own private quarters.

Before Yami redecorated it, Sen Real was an abandoned watch tower, used to see enemy troops coming over the mountains or through the forests. But after the wars between their neighboring countries started to die down and peace reigned for a while, Sen Real simply became an old relic of the fighting, not to be used as a tower to spy on approaching armies any longer. No one ever really went up to Sen Real, at least until Yami began to explore the castle and found it on one of his ventures.

After coming up to Sen Real many times, Yami finally declared that Sen Real would become his new sleeping quarters. The king and queen were unsure at first, but after much persuasion from their only son they also decided that he continue with his plans. In no time at all, and with the assistance of his many servants, Prince Yami turned Sen Real into his "headquarters", and every sunrise or sunset the villagers could see their prince standing by the balcony, his head resting on the stone ledge that ringed around the top of the watchtower.

Today was such a day, for Yami was watching the golden sun sink below the horizon, spreading hues of orange and blood red across the light blue sky. Yami thought about many things as he stared at the beautiful twilight: tomorrow, today, his future, his past, his family, his friends, his future competition with Kaiba….

Aah, yes, Kaiba… Yami had been friends with Kaiba for the longest time, longer than he could possibly remember. It was even farther back in his past that the two started competing against the other. Kaiba was the only son of Priest Akunadin, so he was as famous and well-known as well Prince Yami. Priest Akunadin was revered for his magical abilities and closeness to the king and queen, so it was no surprise that the two boys met at such an early age. He too lived in the palace, and he constantly challenged Yami to spirited games of all kinds, although his arrogant attitude seemed to heat things up a lot. In certain games, such as Duel Monsters or mountain surfing, Yami was the usual victor, as was the same with chess and foot races for Kaiba. Either way, both were very athletic and extremely intelligent.

Despite their similar love for games and competition, the two teenagers were as different as night and day. Kaiba was very tall and was quite plain, with simple brown hair and emotionless cobalt eyes; his face was stern and serious, with hints of mockery and arrogance lining his icy blue stare. Yami, on the other hand, was a serious person with a wild appearance, his hair consisting of black spikes lined with a amethyst and crimson hue on the edges, with blonde bangs framing his face and streaking up like lightening bolts in his mass of black and red hair. He had purple eyes with an exotic appeal, and was of an average height compared to Kaiba, but his manner was just as commanding as his brunette-haired rival yet more mysterious. Odd how such a pair could become such close friends (A/N: Wow, this is a parallel universe I have so created! Strange… this is not going to be so OOC in later chapters).

Yami's parents were the king and queen of his kingdom, and he loved them just as any fifteen year old teen would love his parents. Actually, he could now say that he was _sixteen_, because his birthday was today and he was now officially of that age class. Kaiba had his birthday three months before, and that bothered Yami since Kaiba, for the last few months, had plenty of bragging rights due to his age; Yami's birthday now made him equal to Kaiba again, so now Kaiba had one less thing to brag about. Yami smirked at the thought.

His thoughts continued to swirl about in his mind, but they seemed to blur and fade away; his eyelids slowly fell over his eyes, his gaze transfixed on the sunset as he fell into sleep. Though Yami was wide awake a moment ago, a sudden heaviness overtook him like a shadow, and the urge to stay awake slipped away as Yami's head, nestled in his arms, rested atop the balcony's edge….

_The dark world of sleep is normally filled with many dreams, but Yami stood alone in the dark silence, waiting and watching. He looked in front of him to see a familiar figure in the distance, approaching him leisurely. Yami had seen this figure many times before: in the woods behind the trees, in the shadows of the castle, and in his dreams most of all. He did not fear her, for she was a familiar face to him, and she meant now harm. Somehow the sight of her calmed him, and he never ran away when she appeared._

_As the figure came closer, Yami could see her more clearly; she had long black hair that flowed down to her lips, and became lost in the sea of black that was her shadow-colored dress. Her outfit seemed like it was made from the shadows rather than physical material, which contrasted greatly from Yami's white cotton shirt and white pants. Her skin was as pale as snow against her gothic garb, and she held the most piercing emerald eyes Yami had ever seen._

"_Yami…" she crooned her voice soft and sweet like honey. "My son… come to me… join me… come…" Her voice sang in Yami's mind, a broken record whose listener felt no reason to stop playing. He relaxed, his eyes changing to a vacant purple stare, and he swayed where he stood. The shadowy figure smirked as she silently approached Yami, who was too mesmerized to resist, her hand outstretched to reach for his. Yami, without thought or hesitation, reached his hand out to hers, their hands coming closer, and closer, almost in her grasp-._

Yami jerked awake, his eyes wide and his breathing fats. The mysterious woman was no longer there; the sunset was still there, almost finished for the day, and the kingdom became lit with candlelight from the villages. That was how it was with every dream of the shadow figure, and it was always more intense with each sighting. _This time it was almost too real_, Yami thought to himself fearfully, and yet, he knew he still wouldn't push the woman away, the next time he dreamt of her.

---

Author's Note: _Oh, I wanted to make this longer, but I figured, what the hell might as well just to this. I have to start doing Revival of the Heart as it is, so I gotta get going with that soon._

_Thanks to those that have reviewed me, and to those of you who aren't reviewing… I know you're out there, so just tell me what you think, 'kay? It would be much appreciated!_


	3. About Tiaras and Monsters

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

And I don't own Sleeping Beauty, for that is where the basic framework for the beginning of this story is from. Yes, sorry for not mentioning it earlier; I thought it was obvious.

Author's Note: _Well, my turn-out this time around when it came to reviews was better than expected, to say the least. Thanks to all who have reviewed me so far- I revel in those, you know… oh Ra I need to go out partying or something, since the only life I have revolves around school and this computer… I know! I'll get rid of school, and then I'll have more time… knowing me, I'll just use that to type more fanfictions… yeah I'm so pathetic._

_Oh, and so sorry for the many typos in the last chapter (bows head repeatedly). I'm sorry! I will try to edit my work so that you will not have that anymore… (bows head again) I'm sorry! Gotta do good for the readers, gotta do good… for once… but thank you for reviewing anyway! Luffs you all! _

#2 Author's Note: _Thoughts in italics, and maybe other stuff but I can't think of it off the bat. Enjoy! _

**The Prince of Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 2: About Tiaras and Monsters…**

"Your Highness!" a voice said from outside Prince Yami's door. "Your Highness, you have to get ready! The ball is going to start soon!"

"The ball?" Yami asked, surprised at the mention of something like that; he didn't remember there being a ball for him to attend on such short notice. There was a loud sigh from behind the door.

"Yes, yes Your Majesty! Have you forgotten already? It's your sixteenth birthday party, and you have to be there soon!" At the mention of it being his birthday party the prince's eyes lit up and he ran to the door.

"Oh, that's right!" Yami announced. How could he have forgotten so easily? With his birthday came the biggest ball of the kingdom, and it was essential that he was there, because, well, it was _his_ party! He had to be there! He went over to open up the door for the maid who stood outside it, but when the person entered the room it turned out to be none other than Kaiba.

"Like me squeaky-voiced impression of that maid of yours?" he asked coldly but still held some warmth in his voice for the sake of the joke. He crossed the room past Yami without even an invite in and sat on the cushy king-sized bed that was only reserved for the royal prince. Yami noted that he was already in his outfit for the party, as he was clothed in the robes of a priest-in-training; they were the color of the bluest sky, and he wore a cloak of white over them that was lined with diamonds. His head was without a hat or covering, showing off his neatly-trimmed brown hair and his icy cobalt eyes shimmered like frost crystals.

Yami chuckled at how he had actually thought that the voice belonged to his maid. "That was pretty good, Kaiba. You had me fooled this time" he said to him, trying to lighten the mood, but Kaiba only smirked at the thought of having one-up on the great Prince Yami.

"Another victory for me then" Kaiba hissed in a friendly but still lethal manner that made Yami both scowl and laugh at the same time, as he went over to his over-sized closet and hid behind it as he pulled his outfit for the ball off of its wooden hanger and started to dress himself hurriedly.

"I thought that you were my maid for a second."

"You thought that the whole time- don't go off acting like you weren't" Kaiba replied quickly, trying to make sure that he could offend the prince in every modest attempt the spiky-haired teen made to cover up the facts. There was bleak silence for a moment save the rustling of fabric as the prince slid into his robes and cloak, hidden from Kaiba's view by the wooden door of his closet. Though he was friends with Kaiba since childhood he wasn't that close to him, and for all he knew Kaiba was going to leak out "coveted" information to the public and make him into some sort of fool. No, trusting Kaiba with some matters was as far as they went, and that was it.

"And to think you were fooled into believing that I was your maid because I sounded like some sort of boozed-up cupboard mouse" Kaiba mocked proudly, folding his arms over his head and laying back so that he rested on the soft bed of the prince, wondering how long it would take for him to finally get dressed. It didn't matter to him though; the longer Yami took to get ready the more time he had to push his previous defeat in his face over and over again.

"Whatever you say, Kaiba" Yami mumbled, annoyed now with his so-called "friend's" enjoyment of his simple mistake. But that was Kaiba for you… always a mean-spirited, cold-hearted snob if there was one of his caliber.

"Pissed off now, are we?" Kaiba teased as he got up off the bed and stood impatiently by the door. "If you want to end then finish with the damn robes already! Aren't you done yet?"

"Actually I am." Yami stepped out from behind the barrier he was using, fully dressed in the clothes he had specially made for him by the tailors and seamstresses for this night. Black like the midnight hour, the robes covered his body like shadows; it was lined with a golden trim and obsidian stones. Surrounding the robes was his cloak, made with red as crimson as the blood that flowed through his veins, and on his head, almost lost amongst the wild spikes and lightening bangs, was a tiny crown of silver.

"Hmm… I don't like the 'tiara'" Kaiba said in a sarcastic tone. Yami glared at him spitefully.

"It's a crown, Kaiba! Girls wear tiaras!" Yami countered his face red as he yelled at him detestably, but then he calmed down and pulled the crown from his head to examine it further. "I don't like it either. Do you think I should ditch it?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Well, I could get in trouble for not being 'properly dressed' as my maid says" Yami moaned, but he snickered at the end of it thinking of his maid and how her whinny voice would soon be upon his ears if she heard him complain the way he did. Priceless.

Kaiba merely shrugged. "Rules like that are meant to be broken by the more intelligent- you don't have to listen to her squawk if you don't want to, Yami. Besides, it's _your_ sixteenth birthday party, not hers. If you don't like the 'tiara', then I say throw it off the balcony."

"For the last time, Kaiba, it is NOT a tiara!" Yami fumed, ready to jump on the brunette as he was now laughing hysterically at the prince's angered expression; however, their "fun" was interrupted when a sharp knock came from the door next to them. The two abruptly ceased their quarrel and turned to look at the door in question, surprised.

"Your Highness!" a squeaky voice called. "Your Highness, are you ready yet! The ball is almost ready to start, so hurry up! "

"Yes, yes, I know" Yami responded, only to start giggling as Kaiba twisted and convoluted his face so that it resembled that of the maid on the other side of the door, imitating her voice very quietly.

"The cow has come from the pasture, move to the left for safety" he hissed, causing Yami to have to put his hands over his mouth to stop the laughter from escaping.

"Priest Seto! Are you in there?" yelled the maid.

"Um… yes."

"Well, you should leave, immediately! The ball is going to proceed soon and your presence is required downstairs. Also, your younger brother is looking for you." Kaiba sighed, but Yami knew it was a good-natured one… for once. Mokuba was Kaiba's younger sibling, and he looked up to his big brother with much adulation and respect in his huge brown eyes. Kaiba, though still having a heart as cold as the snow on the top of the eastern mountains, was kind and considerate to little Mokuba and taught him many important things about being a priest and learning the art of summoning monsters. Basically, the monsters summoned were used for warfare and protection, but it was also used for recreational purposes and proved to be a great way for a person to test their magical abilities. It was known as Duel Monsters to the common folk, and eventually the name stuck. Kaiba and Yami were both quiet skilled at the battling of these creatures, though Yami was prone to winning against Kaiba in every competition.

"I'll be there in a second" Kaiba said, and the he turned to look at Yami. "I guess I'll have to go now. Oh, and be careful when walking across the room- the fainting girls seem to have a tendency of getting under foot." With that and a slight scowl to cover up his sarcasm, Kaiba opened up the door to exit the room.

"Yeah, thanks for the advice" Yami said, but Kaiba was already off and past the doorway, heading down the staircase. It was true that, now that Yami was of age, he would now be able to go out and search for his future queen; many of the upper-class maidens would now flaunt and throw themselves at him, much to Yami's liking and despair, for it was hard to walk when he was dodging girls left and right. It was also true that Yami didn't have a particular girl in mind, though his parents were pushing for him to meet the princess in the kingdom past the mountains of the east. His life was filled with games, fun, and multiple victory dances spawned by a newly-won game against Kaiba, so far as Yami was concerned he had no room for love in his life.

_Someday, _he thought to himself in a mocking tone_, I will end up falling for some dancer and end up giving up everything else for her_. He laughed in his head. _Yeah, that'll be the day that the sky falls_!

As Kaiba disappeared into the dark abyss of the staircase leading down from Yami's tower, the plump, waddling mass that was his maid entered, hustling in a panic. She came in, all in a huff, her chubby body moving like an over-stuffed pig to the prince, and yet was quite agile on her small, pigeon-toed feet. She was wearing a gray dress that was covered by a white, filly apron; her skin was wrinkled and laid in layers along her face, telling of her many years of life, and Yami could not see her hair- for it was enclosed in a white hat-like covering, but he could assume that wisps of grey were underneath in a tight bun. Her tiny, deep-set eyes narrowed at the sight of the prince as they took in the condition of his outfit, examining him from his black silk slippers to his perfectly positioned cloak and robes, and all seemed fine until she looked at his wild tri-colored hair. She gasped as though he had grown another head.

"Hmm…?" Yami looked over at the flabbergasted maid with wide purple eyes. "What is it?"

"You… you are missing your crown!" she spurted out. "You cannot leave this room without it!"

Yami shrugged, trying not to show that he was actually a little nervous around his maid; she did have a tendency to get a little rough when he didn't cooperate. "So? It's an ugly little crown. As Priest Seto would say, 'if you don't like the tiara, ditch it', and I agree."

"You shouldn't be listening to that Priest Seto anyway" ordered the maid as she made her way over to the bed where the prince had tossed the tiara over to when she had not been looking. She hustled over to Yami, and reached up on the tips of her toes to get it situated on his head perfectly and without a single stray spike getting in the way. "He is young himself, and still quiet immature, Your Highness. Be careful who you decide to quote from now on." She stood back to examine her work, and, pleased, smiled gently and gestured towards the door. "There, now you are ready to attend the ball. You had better get going, if you wish to make a proper entrance."

"Yes, yes I'll go" he said cheerfully, then as he trotted down the stone steps he muttered under his breath, "as if I want to go now with the stupid 'tiara' on my head."

---

Author's Note: _Yeah… Yami with a tiara… heehee, nice thought._

_Oh, and I have a question for anyone willing to answer it: what does AU stand for? You know, you see them in the summaries occasionally, and I really need to know because I think this story could be labeled by that. For some reason I think it means "Alternative Universe" or Another Universe" but I can't be sure, so can ya help a girl out? Thanks, it would be much appreciated! _


	4. The Magic of the Night

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _Aah, I know this story hasn't been all that serious as of late, but will, it will… soon, so don't fret! Just keep reviewing, and all will be well._

_Oh, and thank you Elfbrat18 for telling me what AU means. Much appreciated… I luff you, ur so cool! Thanks for reviewing!_

_And thanks to all the other people who are reviewing this, such as BlackRoseTenshi, Maridel, spirit fire, and frogger666! You guys rock! And now for the story:_

2 Author's Note: _Thoughts in italics, and maybe other stuff but I can't think of it off the bat. Enjoy! _

**The Prince of Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 3: The Magic of the Night….**

The ballroom of the castle was the most elegant it had ever been: the ceiling art of clouds and mystic angels was grand and breath-taking, the marble floors were sleek and clean, the old, rusty chandeliers were now a magnificent gold, with many white candles giving light to the many well-dressed guests in the room below them. In their chiffon and silk gowns, the women glittered next to the men like the jewels that adorned their necks and ears on the ballroom floor. Alive with music, the room thrived into a huge party, with people ranging from the poorest peasant to the wealthy noble standing about, awaiting the arrival of the one person this ball was truly meant for: His Highness, Prince Yami.

The king and queen were sitting on their thrones, which were situated against the wall so that they were in view of all the guests. Both were covered from head to toe with elegant gemstones and precious cloth; the king wore robes of gold and red, where as his queen had on a gown of silver and blue. Her skirt reached down to her feet, where she was wearing a pair of white slippers with a sharp heel at the end so as to improve her posture. She was dripping with diamonds, from the ones that graced her neck to the small pair that she wore as earrings, while her husband sat next to her with his golden crown that was laced with amethysts, rubies, tanzanite, and emeralds to match the ones that he wore on his many rings. Both were stunning, a vision of pure wealth and status, as they held each other's hand and watched the party enfold, hoping that their son would arrive soon so that he would not miss it.

They were proud of their only son, Yami- he was talented, smart, athletic, and above all, a good leader amongst others. He was everything a royal couple could ever ask for in a son, though sometimes his rowdiness and love for games would end up making things a bit difficult. Many a times the king would try to direct his teenage son to practice war games so that he may learn to become a good conqueror for his people, but Yami usually shrugged that off, saying that if he was going to play a game it might as well be one that had some fun and thrill to it besides the enjoyment of bloodshed. They decided to forget about insisting it upon him- he would learn in good time.

"Oh, where is my son?" the queen whispered over to her king, leaning in so that she could hiss that in his ear. "He should have been here earlier- has something happened? Should I alert the guard?" Her husband shook his head, and looked over at her with his wrinkled face that showed the signs of his age and stress coming about. His brown eyes twinkled lightly.

"No, my dear- no need to cause an alarm" he said, then chuckled to himself. "You're worrying too much about this- you forget that Yami is almost a grown man, and I'm sure he's just fooling about, that is all. It is his birthday- don't be too harsh on him for his tardiness."

"It's not that, my king, it's just-" the queen was about to say something but was cut off as she heard various sound of gasping and yelling. Both of the couple wheeled their heads abruptly towards the main staircase that flanked the opposite wall, and to their joy and comfort, they saw their youthful son Yami emerge from the staircase and approach the room with a smile on his face.

The crowd was silent, so quiet that even a slight gasp for air could be heard across the floor. All eyes were on the prince, who looked the part in his lush robes of midnight black and crimson red cloak, the golden trim and obsidian stone just fringing the ends of the fabric for the feel of royalty. His hair was as wild as it was any day, all in mass of black red and purple that stuck out all over his head, but looked so magical that one could hardly believe it wasn't enchanted in some way. Even more paranormal were his eyes, those large, exotic amethyst orbs that gazed at them all so mysteriously, as they wandered about the room taking in all that there was to see in the palace ballroom. He smiled with an angel's lips and teeth- all that was him seemed perfect in every way; no one in the room could remove their eyes from the sight.

Though just as glad to be admiring his son as the rest of the kingdom, the king knew better than to just sit there and silently congratulate his son on such a princely entrance. He stood him from his jewel-encrusted throne, and it was only then that all the eyes turned away from the prince to gaze at the king and to hear what he had to say. The elder man rose up his hand as a gesture to his people, and then smiled upon his son, his face beaming with joy.

"Welcome, my son" the king said in a husky, deep voice that rang through the room like a baritone note. It was rich and musical, classic voice of one of the most beloved kings in this kingdom's history. Yami looked at him with awe and respect as he held the room's attention upon himself without any need to shush them into submission. He could see the wisps of grayish- brown hair under the heavy, gem-laden crown that sat upon his head, and the aging of his skin and body, but he still held the strength of a young ruler that even his son could admit was quite the achievement. Yami couldn't have been more proud to have a father like him.

He also couldn't help but feel nervous in front of all these people; they may have been his loyal subjects, but he was still getting the butterflies that occasionally came when he had to address a large audience. Luckily for the tri-colored haired prince, he was well-taught in manners of public speaking, and after he gave his father a kind and reassuring grin, he cleared his throat to draw back the attention to himself. All the heads in the room turned.

"Thank you, Your Majesty" Yami replied, mustering the loudest speaking voice he could. His father smirked as the queen stood as well, her arm linked with that of her husband as she looked down at her son, her crystal blue eyes glistening with what could almost be considered tears of joy. She smiled a gentle kind of grin, and Yami felt the love she sent to him instantly. He knew his mother loved him very much, and right now she had to be feeling extremely upset about seeing him grow-up before her eyes. Then he saw his father clearing his throat.

"To my son" he declared. "May your sixteenth birthday be the grandest yet, and we all wish you the best fortune and reign when the crown is yours in the next few years. All hail the future ruler of this majestic kingdom!"

The entire room burst into good-natured cheers and applause. Yami blushed slightly from embarrassment, as now all the people of his land were gazing upon him again, their faces broad with smiles and happiness for the heir to the throne. He walked forward into the mass of people who stood about in wonderment as the prince approached them in a god-like manner, his cloak billowing like a blood-red cloud behind his shadow-drenched form. He made a signal to the maestro, who stood as awe-struck as the rest of the orchestra, for their music to begin and without further hesitation the man swiftly turned to face his men and they played a cheerful melody that made the air feel all the more festive. It enveloped the room with its soft, rich sound, and at once everyone gathered to dance as the prince made his way to the center of the room. He was almost there when, to his minor surprise, a flock of rich maidens from what as he could assume was the western side of his kingdom, judging by their flaunting appearance and over-zealous personalities. As though they manifested from the air they were suddenly before him, causing him to gasp a little.

"Can… can I dance with you, Your Highness?" one of the maidens asked; she was dressed in a green gown that was frilly and boisterous of her figure, her dirty blonde hair tied in a fashionable bun and her eyes a glorious sapphire. The other girls around her held their breath dramatically, waiting for his response. He smirked.

"Sure, I'll dance with you" he said. The other girls glared enviously at their bold friend, as Yami took the girl into his arms and glanced over at the jealous maidens. "One at a time- wait your turn. I'll try to dance with all of you, okay?" Eventually the compromise took affect and the gaggle of girls could only agree to his terms. (A/N: I'm probably somewhere in that group, drooling slightly… oops, did I say that out loud?)

A new song just started to play as Yami and the rich teenage girl took flight around the ballroom; other couples in the center of the room moved over to the side to give them space, forming an open ring around them as they waltzed about. The young woman held onto Yami as though he was a precious doll; she floated about in the ecstasy of being the first to dance with the handsome prince Yami. The prince, though flattered by her obvious show of affection- such as snuggling into his chest- found himself wishing the night was already over. Though the night did not end, the song did after an agonizing while and Yami was all too glad to rip the girl- who refused to remove her arms from around the prince so that the guard had to help yank him free- away from him and move onto the next one.

It was several tries later that Yami finally wished that he was back in his room, leaving the wretched party. His feet were tired from dancing so long, and his guards were tired of having to remove girls from their prince. It wasn't even three hours after the ball had commenced and he already felt like he had been dancing for hours on end.

Above his feet aching and his chest feeling constrained from clinging fingers, his head hurt worst of all. It felt worse than any migraine he had ever experienced before, and he wanted to pass out from the pain. In some moments his vision was almost a screen of red- no one else seemed to notice it, but Yami was becoming weaker and weaker in his resistance to the urge to run away into his room, locking it tight and getting some rest from all the excitement. At last, the tired prince decided to move away from the begging swarm of women to walk over to his smaller throne beside his parents and sit down. His mother, who was once enjoying the scene of the ball, now noticed her son's arrival and glanced over at him, puzzled at his pained expression.

"My son… Yami, what troubles you? Is this not the party that you were wanting for so many months?" Yami shook his head lightly.

"Uh… mother, I feel ill" he admitted softly, though his voice was nearly drowned put by the deep sound of the cello paying in the background. "My head aches… I can't keep this up much longer. It ails me terribly."

"Well, let me see." The queen placed a hand upon Yami's forehead, placing it beneath his rigid bands. "You don't feel feverish. Maybe you-" she stopped in mid-sentence, her cobalt eyes transfixed on Yami's forehead. Though faint and hardly visible, she could almost make out an odd green symbol pulsing on her son's skin. She gaped in horror.

"No, it cannot be!" she hissed, as she nudged her husband in the elbow. He gathered himself, startled.

"What's wrong, My Queen? Does something trouble you?" he asked, concern in his deep, mellow voice.

"Yes indeed. Look!" She gestured to the prince's forehead, at the marking that was showing through his skin. The king's eyes, though still deep-set in the folds of his wrinkled skin, went wide with terror.

"What shall we do?" the queen whispered out of earshot of Yami, who sat looking bewildered by his parents' reactions.

"I… don't know" the king replied mournfully.

"What? Is there something the matter with me? Mother? Father?" Yami questioned cautiously, his amethyst eyes traveling between the two. Both of them seemed very pale, and looked at their son with a grim stare.

"Y-yes, my son, there is…" answered his mother, her voice trying to hide the obvious dread that she felt. "But, it should not be spoken of hear, where others are about. Go up to Sen Real, my son, and we shall speak to you there."

"As you wish, Mother" Yami replied, and reluctantly the teen snuck out of the ballroom through a small passage that led to the kitchens nearby, so as not to draw attention to himself. A moment or two later both the king and queen vanished out of the ballroom into another small corridor that led to the watchtower where their son would be. What the three did not realize, however was that someone was following them up to Sen Real; someone in blue priest robes and a white cloak lined with diamonds….

---

Author's Note: _If you cannot guess who trails our royal family, then you're not supposed to know. If you do, then kudos to you, you are very smart. Tell me if you know (if it is obvious, then please don't tell me that it is 'cause I had to leave it off like that! Otherwise, remain blissfully clueless, until the next chappie! _


	5. What Fate Befalls Us

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _He-llo everybody! Oh, woe is me! I've been having some technical difficulties with the stupid account thing, and it wouldn't let me get on my documents for two days! GAH, RA-DAMN THIS THING! But if this does make it on there then that means that the problem is over and you can all rest easy! If that happens_….

_Oh, wait, I just got a chappie of my other story up, so we're good to go! No worries, folks, the ride will start in three, two, one_….

2 Author's Note: _Thoughts in italics, and maybe other stuff but I can't think of it off the bat. Enjoy! _

**The Prince of Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 4: What Fate Befalls Us….**

With the loud party still occurring below, Sen Real seemed almost too quiet, too deserted. There was an air of awe and apprehensiveness to it that both pleased and scared the youthful prince, but with his head pounding and his feet throbbing he had no choice but to somewhat enjoy the eerie silence that encompassed him as he entered the room.

His head still hurt, the pounding almost rhythmic in his head as if to the beat of a drum, or like a heart beat. It went "Dum-dum…Dum-dum…." as Yami listened to it carefully, but he tried not to think about the pain anymore, as it only increased it ten fold. It was almost in time with his heart's beating, but not quite as they were not completely aligned. He trudged over to his bed and sat on the edge of it, his head in his hands, wondering what had been so shocking that his parents had acted so strange to him all of a sudden. What had they seen that had been so terrifying that their faces could become so pale with fear, that their breaths could be halted in their throats and jerk the words from their lips? Yami was now all too curious about it, but before his mind could jump to conclusions, a sharp knock came to his attention as the king and queen asked to be invited within his quarters.

"Come in" Yami responded dismally, not really wanting to have to interact with anyone right now but the curiously of what his parents had to say still lingered within him. They both entered into Sen Real, with their eyes glued to ground in a sort of shame that Yami had never seen on them before. After all, they were the rulers of a land, so they had learned early on how to hide their true feelings when it was deemed necessary; now of all times seemed like a good minute to do that. But they didn't, like they were refusing to hide a secret that had long been hidden. Yami brought his head up from his hands to gaze upon them with half-lidded eyes of pure amethyst and crimson; his mother's eyes widened when she saw him, her gaze directed to his forehead, but regained her composure and looked back at the ground with her husband. Yami was worried, but not that worried- whatever it was, they probably had the money and power to fix it. He was a prince of a slightly wealthy kingdom, to say the least, and his people loved him. Any fate that befell him would be the concern of the folk, and he had hopes that he was only ill with something serious and that this situation wasn't something more.

In the queen's hands she held what appeared to be a golden box, with odd carvings that looked like scripture written into it and the symbol of the Millennium Eye, or the child's blessing seal, on its surface. Yami stared at it as the two quietly sat down in a pair of arm chairs that his friends usually sat in when they came over for fun, but now his depressed parents were there, now looking at him as though seeing him for the first time. The king cleared his throat to signal the attention of his son on him.

"Now, my son" he began in his baritone voice, "I know you've heard this many times, but, do you recall the story of your birth?" Yami was taken aback a bit y this question; why did Father want to ask him about that? But whatever the reason, the tri-colored haired teen still had to answer.

"Yes, I remember" Yami replied softly. "How can I forget, when its importance has been drilled into my head for so many years? You told me all about the fairies, the gifts, the food-"

"Yes, well, that's not… all of it" interrupted his mother solemnly. Yami's eyes snapped into focus, surprised. "You see, we never told you… the whole story, because… well, never mind that. I guess now would be the best time to inform you, before it is too late."

"Too late?" Yami questioned, shocked. "Too late for what?" The king sighed heavily.

"Before you were born, Yami, your mother and I wanted a child of our own so badly and yet we were unable to obtain one. We were so desperate that we finally decided to go to this rumored wishing-well fairy, who was a wish granter and could help with any request. We went to her, and wished for you- we did get our wish-"

"But there was a price" added the queen. "The fairy said that we had to invite her to your blessing ceremony and allow her to bless you. We were going to, and that was what we had planned, but…" her voice trailed off slightly, her eyes glazing over a bit "… we tried so hard to make it seem like you were OUR child, and not a magical manifestation. We lied and lied so much that soon we believed our own lie, and we forgot about the fairy of the well, until it was too late. And when the blessing ceremony came, she appeared as well.

She wanted revenge. Yami, in her blessing for you she cursed you with the Seal of Orichalcos, a seal of darkness and shadows. With it, she declared that on your sixteenth birthday you would become her servant and destroy us all under her command.

To protect you, the twelfth fairy of the wood blessed you with the Millennium Puzzle, which is a mystical talisman that she said would keep you from becoming the witch's servant. Here" she said as she handed her stunned son the golden box, plopping it into his unmoving hands weakly, "it belongs to you now."

Yami didn't move for several seconds, the words his mother spoke just barely sinking into him as he attempted to process the information- a curse, and a blessing… that his parents were not really his own. In a bewildered trance the teen gradually glanced down at the box that now rested in his lap, in his arms, almost like it was an evil demon in his grasp, wanting to hurt the reality he once knew. He opened the heavy gold lid, revealing sparkling gold pieces of a puzzle unlike what Yami had ever seen before, lying clumped together in a heap as they awaited the touch of the chosen one. After just a glance at them Yami instantly closed the lid on the precious pieces, refusing to stare at them for much longer for they represented his world being turned upside-down right before his eyes. He looked to his parents in question.

"Why… why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice soft and like a gentle breeze, before suddenly roaring into a hateful gale. He seethed at them with anger in his eyes. Why didn't you tell me that I'm not your son! Why couldn't you have told me I was cursed, that I was EVIL! That I'm some kind of… of… shadow creature made to be a slave once I grew up? You couldn't tell me that!"

"Yami" the queen spoke delicately, as though she was unaware of Yami's rage, or was trying to deny it herself. "This happened fifteen years ago. That was a long time ago, and also… how could we tell you that, when we didn't want to believe it ourselves? WE were in denial, my son, and though we should have made you alert to the fact that this had happened, we couldn't bear to bring that upon you when you were only so young. We said each year, that it would be this year that we broke the news to you, but as each year past we realized that we may never tell you, because we were too fearful of how you would react to us after all those years of silence. Tonight we had no choice" she whispered. "Tonight, it was the only night. If you survive this night then it will all be okay, and she won't come for you. There is still hope for that Yami- please don't be angry at us. We regret not telling you sooner, it's true."

Yami stared at them for the longest time, trying not to believe what he was forced to hear. His parents… they had been lying the whole time? About ever being his parents? About him being normal, about him being a person of the shadows, of the Orichalcos, no less? He couldn't believe that a veil had been over his eyes for his whole life, and he had never known, for all that time… his whole life was a lie.

"But… you… why-"

"My son, please, try to forgive us- there was nothing we could have done" replied the king, his arms going around his wife who had started to weep at her son's anger. "I think it would be best to let you cool off for a bit, so that you can think this through. We will have the royal palace guard come to your room in a few moments so that you will be protected in case the fairy does try and attack you. In the mean time, rest- this may all be over in the morning." With that, they both got up from their seats, and with grim remorse, left the room before Yami could dare protest otherwise. They closed the door silently, and Yami listened to their footsteps as they went down the stairs, their presence slowly fading away from Sen Real as the reality of the situation finally grasped the young prince, and he sat quietly with his heart wrenched in horror.

_I_…_this cannot be for real_…_it just can't_. He walked over to his bedroom dresser clumsily and slowly, his feet just barely dragging on the wooden floor as he made his way to the furniture. In despair he set the golden box on the surface of his dresser, and with that accomplished he threw himself onto his large bed where he eventually allowed himself to cry like he never had before. He was a touch teen, not one who would normally break down in tears for whatever the situation, but now was not the time for him to be hard and unfeeling. What did it matter, his life was over- he simply didn't have the will to continue. What would his people think, seeing their ruler as a dark entity, having become a slave to the shadows? Would he ever be the same again?

What hurt him more was that his mother and father had lied to him. Sure, the whole thing was terrible in itself, but the fact that they had kept the secret from him, for so long, only proved to make it worse. Now he hated them- hated them for lying, hated them for forgetting, because if they had never forgotten, or never lied about him, then none of this would have ever happened. He would be normal, and free… but because of them he was trapped, and it was too him that he gave the blame.

He wished that he didn't feel so much remorse, and so much pain. It felt like his heart would burst from the stress, from the anger, from the depths of his suffering_. I wish_… _that this would all be over… that things wouldn't hurt so much_.

"And it can be" whispered a voice as light as a feather in the wind. At first, Yami paid no heed to the sweet sound, for he was too busy pounding his fist into the pillow closest to him as his head was stuck in another one, but soon his mind became aware of its presence and he slowly lifted his head up to see who was with him at the moment. He had not heard anyone open his door. He wanted to know why the voice sounded so familiar. "Yami, my son… the time is now… time to go where you rightfully belong…."

Out of thin air, the mysterious woman from Yami's dreams appeared before his bed; Yami gasped, startled by her sudden entry for which he had no explanation for. She smirked at him delightfully.

"My dear Yami, you seemed troubled. What bothers you?" she crooned, and Yami felt his body and mind relax at the sound of her voice, at the image of her emerald green eyes boring directly into his where he could not look away. He remembered her, and he did not fear her- instead he felt a sense of security as she looked at him, her lips curved in a kind but strange smile. He was still unsure about her, but he could not help but trust her somehow.

"Why are you here? Who are you?" he asked, but she then came closer and put two ivory fingers to his lips to silence him.

"I see… you have learned about who you truly are" she whispered sympathetically, like a mother would. "And no one ever told you… they all made you live a lie, all this time, and now, on your great birthday, they tear your world apart. I'm sure you feel… terrible about that."

"Yeah, I do…" he said, not knowing why he was confessing to this woman, even if he had always seen her in the corner of his eye all his life. "I wish… that I could make the whole thing go away. That I can forget that I ever found out about this." He didn't realize how close the woman had gotten to him, as she snaked here way slowly to his side on the bed, and she was sitting next to him, looking to him sincerely. She reminded him of a mother figure, like she truly cared about him… not like his parents, his _fake_ parents, the king and queen of a kingdom who couldn't even have a child without dark magic to help them. At the thought of them, anger grew inside of Yami- why he did not know, but now he felt like he hated them, like he hated them all, for lying and deceiving him ever since he had been born. He should leave them, leave them all, and see how they like to be suddenly abandoned to their own conclusions. Yami didn't realize, however, that the mysterious woman had gently placed her hand on his shoulder, and as she did so he slowly relaxed, his thoughts sluggish and his reflexes silenced for a moment as her power sank into his skin.

"So don't stay here, where they can lie to you more. Come with me, run away from this mortal place, and I can show you power and freedom. There will be no more lies, no more deception. You can be your own master, Yami" she got up from her seat on the edge of the bed and held out her hand to the teen who was wallowing in his thoughts and the ones that she had administered to him through her touch. She could see his eyes glaze over with time and the hurt. "Join me, and there will be no more suffering. I can take away all your feelings, so you won't hurt anymore. I can help you forget, so you won't know that this ever happened. You can be without your past, Yami, if you just come with me…."

Yami's head rose up to gaze at the hand, at the tempting offer, at the right offer. She was right- if he left maybe he could start anew, without always knowing what he truly was… maybe she could make him forget so that he wouldn't always know that he was the darkness reincarnate. All he had to do was take her hand… take her hand and all would be left behind, all the pain and the sorrow and the grief. It was overwhelming him, paining him, swallowing him… he couldn't take much more, he couldn't bear the pounding in his head and the longing in his heart. As though in a trance he let his pale hand rise up from his lap, as he tried to meet hers and go away…make it all go away….

But just for a second, as his hand hung loosely in the air, drifting towards hers, he found a moment of clarity in the fogginess of his mind, in the haze that she had secretly draped over his eyes. He remembered a small bit of what his mother had said to him, of what she had tried to explain about his coming-to-be: "_She wanted revenge. Yami, in her blessing for you she cursed you with the Seal of Orichalcos, a seal of darkness and shadows. With it, she declared that on your sixteenth birthday you would become her servant and destroy us all under her command._" Why his thoughts had suddenly become lucid from the dream-state it had almost taken to, he did not know but if it was any case his mind now returned to him and he could see this woman for who she truly was.

_She's the fairy of the well_! He thought, as he instantly broke away from her and sat at the opposite end of the bed, as close to his pillows as he could muster, as he scrambled in a hurry from her hand in shock. She seemed to hardly notice his change though, as she only leaned in closer with her ivory hand.

"Yami, come with me… this is what is meant to be… your fate" she crooned, but now Yami was too ashamed at how easily fooled he was too be placed under her spell.

"No! I refuse to become your servant, witch!" he shouted at her, anger rising up like bile in him as he watched her with amethyst eyes. Surprisingly, the fairy only laughed at Yami's remark instead of fuming into rage. Her eyes lit up with a dark light as she cackled.

"Foolish child!" she said. "Did you think you had a choice? You were destined to be my human servant, and my servant you shall be!" In a flash the witch brought forth her black staff, which stood at her the time before and fixed the jeweled end at Yami's forehead. To Yami's horror, the emerald began to glow an eerie green as the fairy chanted something in a low muffled voice. Suddenly, a burning sensation overtook the prince's forehead, and to this Yami screamed in pain. The Seal of Orichalcos formed in a matter of seconds, burning itself into his skin, and it shone brighter than a start upon his brow.

The witch grinned. "Don't fight" she cooed, though her voice was now like icy serum than the feigned warmth it once contained. "After all, it's pointless. You will obey me soon enough, so make it easy on yourself and give into the power of the Orichalcos."

"No…" Yami managed to grunt between winces of pain, as his head began to pound harder and faster. "…I can't… I won't….give in… to you!"

"Fine, suit yourself, child. You're only wasting my time, but it doesn't matter. You will be annexed into the shadows in a matter of minutes." Yami soon came to the conclusion that the fairy could be right: his vision became blurry with a crimson glow that blinded his eyes, and his heart beat began to follow the rhythm of the pulsing of the Seal. He tried to fight the burning pain that seared through him and the urge to surrender, but he soon found that it was too unbearable to resist it for much longer.

"That's it" she hissed, her voice laced with excitement as she watched him wither under the pressure of her power. "That's it… just a little more pain, a few more seconds, and I will have you! I will win-"

Out of nowhere a figure charged into Yami's bedroom and tackled the witch. The Seal of Orichalcos faded a bit, and the red in Yami's eyes lessened. He glanced up to see his hero, who turned out to be-

"Kaiba!" he exclaimed. "Where did you-"

"There's no time!" Kaiba snapped, his brown locked wavering slightly from their usual stiffness and his cobalt eyes full of anxiety. "I heard everything outside you door, and I confronted the King and Queen. I'm here to help you! Catch!" Kaiba pulled something from Yami's dresser and tossed it to Yami. It was the golden box that his parents had given to him. Yami looked up to thank Kaiba, only to watch in dread as the witch used her staff to push the priest away.

"Kaiba!" he yelled.

"Hahaha, so you thought you could help your prince, eh?" the fairy said, her eyes sparkling with hatred. "Well, too bad! You've come too late, and it's time to see Your Highness fall!" She only used one sweep of her jeweled staff, but that was all it took to send Kaiba into a stone wall with unseen magic, knocking him out cold. He slumped uselessly to the floor as Yami stayed put, stricken with fear and dismay for his friend. The witch turned to face Yami, her face menacing to look at.

"Now" she hissed, "it is time that I finish this! Join me, Prince Yami! Join the darkness of the Orichalcos!" She pointed the emerald at the prince, and as it started to glow Yami braced himself for the agony that would flood him relentlessly. He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the pain to come, waiting for her persuasive voice to whisk him away from all his own thoughts and feelings, waiting for him to leave his family and life forever…but it never came.

Yami's eyes opened to see an outburst of heavenly light come from his lap, come from the golden box from which the Millennium Puzzle had abruptly activated.

"What is this?" the witch shrieked as she slowly backed away from the prince and the light. "What kind of power is this!" The fairy screamed as the light grew more brilliant, and as it did so a sense of comfort came over Yami as he gazed upon the unconscious form of Seto Kaiba.

"Thank you, Kaiba", Yami whispered, hoping that maybe his friend would here him in whatever dream he was having right now. A white radiance enveloped the room, and in its wake the heaviness of sleep loomed over the prince's eyes like an unexpected wave. He had not expected the instant slumber that grasped him firmly, and with it he fell back onto his bed, the illumination flooding his vision with nothing but colorless emptiness that faded into black… the sounds of the witch's screech, of his own heartbeat, disappearing into silence.

---

Author's Note: _And so the sleep begins! How long will it last? When will it end? And who will be there when Prince Yami awakens? You'll just have to wait for the next update to discover that for yourself!_

_Sorry for not updating in a while… I had two projects due on the same day, and I tried to do them both in the same night… bad idea, don't do it. And I have Terra Nova testing on top of it! Baka testing system! But I will try to update as fast as possible, 'kay? Just keep the reviews pouring in!_

_Oh, and just so you know: I will be away on a cruise from April 6th through the 16th, so I won't be able to update for ya, sorry! If they have a computer on the ship then I will attempt to reply to all of you, and maybe get some reading time in as well! Ah, whatever, see ya'll later! _


	6. Yet to be Forgotten

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _Hey, I back! All nice and tan from my lovely vacation on the cruise!_

_And inspiration has gifted me with a new story for all of you to read (for those of you who read _Revival of the Heart_ as well as this then you have already heard this message). It is called _Desert Aqua_, and it is a story about the Yu-Gi-Oh! gang going on a cruise… but Yami's past comes back to haunt him along with fact that Yami Marik and Yami Bakura are causing all kinds of hell… you get the point._

_Anyways, check it out, it only has the first chappie up but hey, stick with it, it WILL get better! Remember, _Desert Aqua

_And now, on with this wondrous little fic of mine!_

2 Author's Note: _Thoughts in italics, and maybe other stuff but I can't think of it off the bat. Enjoy! _

**The Prince of Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 5: Yet to be Forgotten….**

_And so the small kingdom nestled between the greenest forest and the tallest mountains, had its fate sealed that very night. The kingdom was frozen under the spell that the Millennium Puzzle, and Samira's malicious curse, provided. All the people within the palace at the moment that the magic was spun were turned to stone statues, stationary against all time and space now for forever. Some managed to escape the wrath of Samira and fled to nearby villages or another kingdom, but when they did arrive there they were too stunned to speak coherently and were considered insane or traumatized._

_And so the years past on…no one dared approached the small kingdom for it was said to be 'cursed' by the darkness and anyone who entered would fall under its spell. The place was abandoned, and so became an example of the deadly powers of the shadows—mothers used the story to keep their rowdy children in line, and soon, after no time at all, the idea of the cursed prince and his sleeping memory became just that—a fairy tale, a long lost memory that was only vaguely remembered, let alone taken seriously. _

_Years began to fly by, first by hundreds, then by thousands… almost three thousand years went by before the most terrible thing in all the world's history finally occurred:_

_The darkness came out of the shadows, and began its attack on mankind._

_This was the age that everyone had forgotten about the ancient ways, instead focusing on the growing industrialization and the forming of cities. Technology was starting to take root, and advancements were forming rapidly. The fact of the matter was, no one believed in magic anymore—thus making it the perfect time for the evil of the past to rear its ugly head._

_And rear it did and the unsuspecting humans fell almost instantly. They were unprepared for the invasion, and as fairy tale demons became a reality they had no other choice but to take to arms and fight this sinister force, even if it meant risking their very lives to save their countries, to save their world._

_Modern technology was useless against these foul creatures, with monsters such as Luna of the Dark Sun leading the attacks on the battlefields. There seemed to be no hope for the losing humans, as they had no other way to fight against the invaders… the darkness controlled all the magic and they would have world conquest at last. The puny humans would have fallen, would have become extinct… but that was not how fate intended things to be._

_A select few of the humans remembered the olden days, recalled the ancient spells of their ancestors. They called upon the help of the angels, of the fairy folk, of the elements and the great Divine, and when all the people of the world finally believed, finally accepted the worlds of magic and mystery the powers of the ancients collided against the might of the darkness—in the closest struggle the fight finally ended, leaving both ends of the spectrum worn and unwilling to give up. The darkness had taken almost all the human lives of the world, and though the side of the light did tremendous damage as well they could not stop the evil from multiplying and recreating their armies again. All looked lost as the shadows prepared for the final strike—_

_But it never came. As if by a miracle the evil that was the dark ones receded, and disappeared from the world as though it had never been. All was quiet again, all was silent, as the few people who had been spared began to rebuild life again, and try to regain a sense of wholeness where it had been taken by the darkness._

_The progress of technology had receded back to the ancient days, and as another thousand years went by everyone forgot about how it used to be, about the technology and advancements in their world. They were back to living in villages with kings and queens, magic and monsters, mystics and superstition…_

_With it ancient tales had been woven and spun, so the tales of the battle between darkness and light became a fairy tale, just as the story of the cursed prince had once been_….

_And what of the small kingdom, between the greenest valley and the tallest mountains? It was still abandoned, of that nothing changed. The thousands of years that had gone by were filled with drought and vicious storms, which sanded down the tallest mountains to rough golden canyons and killed the lush green of the once fertile valley. The earth became a barren wasteland, and then as the winds of hell flattened it further, the land was sculpted into a desert, where sand became a sea of golden grains that stretched for many, many miles. _

_From the southern lands came the nomads, who arrived as outcasts from their hometowns and lives. They traveled along the desert, and as more and more came some banded together to form colonies, and then as more and more came they started to form tribes, then villages, and finally all the nomads became one entity as they created a desert oasis known as Onimod. It was a rich thriving city that was filled with trade and prospered where others could not—it tamed the wildness of the desert with ancient magic and careful planning._

_They knew of nothing but the desert, and within this desert they had heard of a legend: that somewhere near the rolling mountains in the death that was the arid region, there lay a forgotten castle from a time long, long ago—it was said to have survived the times of drought and corrosion of the sand, having been cursed by magic and it was to remain untouched for all of eternity. It had never been found by anyone, and it was said, in the ancient stories told to the small children at night, that it would remain that way until the fated chosen one, arrived to do something that now no one knew for sure._

_And now, five thousand years later, was the time for the chosen one to follow his fate_…._It was all a part of the great mystery of destiny._

---

Sand… lots and lots and LOTS of sand… you see one grain of sand, you've seen a trillion.

So was the way of life in Onimod (A/N: Like Egypt, but since this is AU I didn't wanna call it that. Can anyone guess where I got the name? Tell me in your review if you know the answer! I will mention in my A/N who answered it first!); sand prevailed above all in Onimod, as it was with any desert land. Still despite the seas and oceans of endless gold dust engulfing the land, mysteries lie deep in the desert just waiting to be discovered.

Get out your camels, cause it's time to find a treasure!

---

The endless void of sand stretched out beyond the horizon, the wind tossing it about like ocean spray. The mountains and canyons shimmered like a mirage in the east, and to every other direction the bronze marine was the only visual.

Coming up over a sand dune from the south, a camel and its rider were heading north. The rider was dressed in sand-colored robes that were plain and simple, resembling a peasant's garb. His skin, for living in the desert was slightly pale—or at least paler than any normal desert-dweller—but one could hardly see it as only his hands and a bit of his face were visible. Over his face he had a bundle of off-white cloth wrapped around it for protection against the harsh winds and biting bits of sand that were carried with it, but even then his large amethyst eyes were visible along with a few tuffs of crimson-tipped black hair and blonde bangs.

The camel trudged through the sand slowly but steadily, climbing up the sand dune as a mountain goat would the side of a ridged cliff. It was adorned with a small bag of provisions and essential, but that was all besides the reign that was attached to the camel's neck and muzzle. The blazing heat of the morning sun glared upon them, sending waves of heat fluttering up off the sandy horizon, but that did little to quell the sense of wonder that filled the camel's rider when they both made it to the pinnacle of the sand dune and saw what lay before them.

"This was never here before!" gasped the rider, and in disbelief he removed the scarf around his face so that he could get a better view of what sat in the valley ahead of him. As he did so, his face fell into the glow of the sunlight, revealing his child-like appearance and large violet eyes that were even now in amazement. His hair erupted from its confinement, an explosion of raspberry and ebony locks, with a few of his blonde bangs springing out wildly from his forehead so that they splayed like a frame around his face. At its master's excitement the camel made a slight groaning noise—the rider noticed and he kindly pet the camel's fur with a smile on his lips.

"Yeah Namu, I know how you feel" he said in a caring vibrant voice that the camel enjoyed listening to (A/N: Know where I got THAT name from? Hehehe, I'm bad). His violet eyes traveled back to the sight before him, and he grinned inwardly at what he had just discovered. "It's just you and me now, Namu—Prince Yugi and Namu, the first to discover the ruins of the ancient legend!"

That was what he knew he had found; there was no other plausible explanation. Before him, in a deep valley in which all the mountainous sand dunes seemed to flood into lay what appeared to be the remains of the castle from a time that he could only assume was before the Darkness Wars, to which the majority of the old world from the ancient past had been lost. He could see that it was made of slate gray blocks that created the terraces and one particularly tall tower, which was high above the desert wasteland. What amazed the prince was that it appeared untouched by time and the environment around it… it was as if it was the way it had been around five thousand years ago.

He stared at it, mesmerized by what he thought he had found—eventually he shook himself out of his trance and smiled. "I've finally found it. The castle of legend, the castle from the fairy tale… no one has ever discovered this place, until now." He looked down at his camel, and Namu did what any camel would have: simply stared back. Yugi grabbed onto Namu's reigns and glanced forward at what he now had to see up close, what he felt like he needed to see closely with his own eyes. "Come on, Namu! That castle is gonna be explored by no else but us!"

A camel is certainly not a speedy animal by any means, but when provoked it could go at a dashing speed to get away from whatever made it run. In this case, it was Yugi tight pull on the reigns and a kick on the side that sent Namu charging, though he need not go too fast as they were heading directly downhill and that would help move them along enough without the risk of falling forward into the dry golden earth. The downward direction moved them quickly, until they reached the bottom; Namu had to force himself to a halt, and Yugi was nearly sent forward into the brick wall that was only a foot or so away.

"Oh… that was, close" Yugi said as he caught himself, breathless from the exhilaration of the ride. Once he was sitting comfortably on Namu's back again, he put a hand over his eyes to look up at the enormous expanse of gray brick that rose above him like a giant. It towered over the prince like he was a toy soldier saluting to the child that was playing with him. There were a good number of towers that erupted from the castle's base, but one in particular stood out from all of them as it seemed to touch the very sky. Yugi stared up at the tower for a long time before he turned back to Namu and rubbed the camel's neck; he placed his muzzle near his master's face in return as Yugi dismounted.

"You stay here, Namu" the prince whispered once he realized that the camel had every intention of following his master inside the castle. "You can't go on with me. Don't run off, though." He stared into the creature's eyes, looking at the black pools watch him back. "I trust you. Okay?"

Namu, though he was a camel and could not understand the human language any better than most animals, somehow got the message and nudged Yugi's shoulder, as if to say that he would never do such a thing. Yugi smiled again. "Thanks Namu."

With that done, Yugi turned towards the castle and headed inside the palace through an open window; apparently the sand was so high up that Yugi completely missed the first two floors and was entering through a window on the third. He didn't even bother to tie Namu to anything, but that was more because he did trust his animal than because there was nothing to tie the camel to.

And as for Namu, he observed his master climb through the window before disappearing into the darkness of the ruins. Now everything was silent, and as far as Namu was concerned an excellent time for a nap. With that, he took a slight glance around, yawned, and then knelt down on the soft sand in the shade of the giant castle overhead.

---

Author's Note: _And now we enter Prince Yugi! Sorry if this chappie was a bit confusing, or wasn't as good as some of the others. It will get better in a short while. In the mean time, if you need something to read then see my other two stories, as they might be just as entertaining—plus I always appreciate new readers!_

_Angel's Nocturne, over and out!_


	7. The Past and Present Collide

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

AND THIS IS BASED PARTIALLY OFF SLEEPING BEAUTY, IN CASE ANYONE HASN'T FIGURED THAT OUT! (That's only for the lawyers, not for the smart readers who figured that out long ago).

Author's Note: _Wow, I got so many reviews from you guys! A total of 9… ah, this story is most loved!_

_And because you love it so much I am now updating, though I would have updated anyway if I hadn't gotten any reviews, just I would have been REALLY sad… sniffle, like I am for my other two stories, as I have not gotten that many reviews back from them! Oh, woe is me! _

_So make this fan writer happy and sent in your reviews, pronto!_

_Oh, and read Onimod backwards… then you'll know what it is! Nobody got that, I'm so surprised… okay never mind, just read on!_

2 Author's Note: _Thoughts in italics, and maybe other stuff but I can't think of it off the bat. Enjoy! _

**The Prince of Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 7: The Past and Present Collide….**

Prince Yugi was the heir to the Onimodian throne, with his grandfather Solomon as the present king of the oasis city. Yugi's father was supposed to be the next ruler, but he died in an assassination directly after Yugi's mother had been killed while giving birth to the prince. For the time being, Solomon had kept his position as king until he was sure that Yugi was ready to inherit the title and take control of his homeland.

The boy had grown up with his grandfather as his guardian, along with his many servants who treated the young prince as royalty should be: with utmost respect and unlimited devotion. Yugi also gained a love for games and adventures from his elderly keeper, such as a passion for historical digs and archaeological finds. As a small boy he attended many expeditions with Solomon, accompanying the old traveler as they discovered ancient mysteries and hidden treasures. The king also taught his grandson to be a worthy opponent in most games, whether they be board games or card games.

In any event, the Onimodian prince grew up to be an aspiring young man with a wealth of knowledge and a thirst for adventures. Though he was always willing to go with Solomon on various trips he found that the old man was beginning to tire of these thrills and started to decline going forward with them. But with the spirit of discovery flowing through young Yugi's veins he could not help but continue his ventures, alone and only with the company of his trusty camel Namu. He did not tell his friends where he was going, but they always trusted the prince to return by nightfall, sometimes with a new-found treasure but always with a worn smile on his childish face.

Today would be no different, as he set foot inside the ancient palace of legend, the one that he had heard stories about from his grandfather when he was younger. It had become one of his fondest tales, and thus making this one of the most exciting of his trips so far. The legends had said that this castle had been cursed by dark magic, long before the Darkness Wars had taken place, and with that magic was mysteriously preserved even when the environment changed from lush forests to arid desert like it had over the span of five thousand years. It was also said, that a treasure was hidden in the highest tower of the castle, and that it contained magic beyond the normal talisman or amulet. It was supposedly enchanted by one of the great fairies of the woodland, long before the forest had been destroyed by the forces of nature.

The prince entered the castle cautiously, because after more than five millennia the possibility of the palace crumbling at his mere touch was actually quite high. Unlike the bright world outside, the castle actually managed to remain dark even in the noon part of the day; Yugi was immediately blind amongst the cool air that was strangely abundant inside the fortress. Just a moment ago the air had been sweltering and dry, but as soon as he crossed over the border into the darkness of the large room he felt the chill of coolness flow over him like sweet water to a man dying of thirst. He smiled as he enjoyed the chill race down his back and up to his neck.

_This place **must** be enchanted_, he thought as he allowed his eyes to adjust to the absence of light around him. _How else could it remain so cold in the middle of a day like this_?

Once his amethyst eyes had become accustomed to the shadow-clad room, he gasped as he took in all that surrounded him. He was on top of a large dune of sand that had flooded into the room via the window, and like a huge snow drift it descent instantly down towards the floor at least two stories below him. From his vantage point on top of the dune he saw what first appeared to be several boulders placed all along the marble-colored floor; it only took a moment to realize that those weren't boulders, but statues of people.

They were dancing, frozen in positions of waltzing and laughing as they appeared to having some form of party. Yugi had heard about the legend, and how when the evil curse had been cast over the castle the people inside had been turned into stone, but still the real image was nothing he could prepare himself for. His wide violet eyes gazed over the entire floor, and with the recognition of two large seats on platforms on one side of the room he realized that this was the throne room—it was the main room where parties like this would be held. Again he glanced about the room, before shuddering and finally heading down the massive sand drift.

The descent wasn't long, as Yugi nearly fell most of the way—his robes did not make it easy for him to maneuver when he was up to his knees in sand. Eventually he made it to the bottom, where he was forced to see the statues of people up close as he slowly walked across the floor. Every once in a while, Yugi's eyes looked up at one of the frozen people, watching how there features were so life-like save the slate coloration, how their lives were rolling on by so naturally before the hand of fate dealt its final blow to them. They were forever trapped in time, spellbound for all eternity in their final moments, and they would be like this for centuries from now until forever. The eerie quiet only helped to make the hairs on Prince Yugi's neck stand up even higher as he tried to make it to the other side of the room without running or scaring himself into submission.

"So the legends are true…" he breathed as he finally, after what felt like a half-hour of staring at all the many stone bodies, made to the end of the palace throne room. At the very end of the throne room was a staircase, one that was grandeur and had all the magnificence to be called the main stairwell. Though after five thousand years one would assume that the stairs would be too fragile to even touch without disintegrating, after a test or two Yugi found them to be quite stable, as though they were like they used to be so long ago. With that done, the Onimodian prince eagerly climbed the marble steps, unable to wait for what other mysteries laid within the ancient ruins.

He made it to the top quickly, and after he explored the fourth floor for a bit he remembered what he came there for: the treasure in the highest tower. This did take a bit of time to find, but from what Yugi could remember from what the castle looked like from the outside he easily discovered the location to the stairs that lead him there. These ones were not like those of the main stairwell; instead of oversized steps that took up most of the wall, he found a narrow stairwell that spiraled around inside the tower, leading him up at a dizzying height to the top.

As the prince began his ascent to his final destination, he saw sand lizards from his country crawling about in the darkest corners of the staircase, hiding from the glaring sunlight that filled the tower through windows that were carved into the stone ever once in a while. Sand lightly dusted the stairs, as they came in through the windows during the occasional windstorms the desert had, and as Yugi climbed higher and higher less and less sand appeared.

It felt like forever was passing him as he drew closer; it could have been five minutes, for all Yugi knew but his determination refused to let him think about those distracting thoughts. After all, this was something he had dreamed about doing since he was very small. With his grandfather's tales he was whisked away to an ancient time of knights and dragons, of medieval castles and green forest, containing woodland spirits of all kinds. With the legends he dreamt of being the one to find it, to be the first person to ever discover the ruins of the palace that no thought existed anymore. He would prove them all wrong soon… as soon as he found the treasure that was said to be at the tower's peak.

But as time worn on and the stairs continued to multiply Yugi was having his doubts; he knew that the tower had been high but exactly how high was it? Perhaps this was another enchantment, or maybe the cool air was getting to him as he was not used to it during the day. He even thought about turning back, as he felt the tiredness in his legs and the frustration in his spirit grow with each step, each one taking him higher and higher but yet he seemed to be getting farther and farther away… but no! This was what he had wanted to find for so long; a treasure of momentous value, something no one else had ever seen before… he wasn't going to be a child about this! This was serious; this was his big chance, to prove that he was something other than a prince, that he could be more, that he could be something other than royalty and be a legend of his own. The title would be his, if he could only reach the top before night set in and he would have to turn back….

To his surprise, his thinking about his goals and his dreams kept him so occupied that he at last found himself at the end of his travels—before him stood a large wooden door, and that signaled to him what he had been waiting to feel for years. He was a few steps away from what lay beyond, from what history had never known and what the stories never talked about. This was his destiny.

"This is it" he whispered as he placed a slippered foot onto the top step. His breathing fats, his heartbeat increasing, the excitement waiting like a bomb about to exploded inside of him, he reached out his hand, and as carefully as he could he slowly, but surely, opened the old wooden door.

In an instant, a cloud of dusted splashed into Yugi's face, making him cough and choke. It took a moment for the cloud to clear, but when it did Yugi was amazed to see the inside of the historical tower known as Sen Real.

Despite how old everything should have appeared, the entire room looked as though it had only been yesterday that this room had been occupied. Nothing appeared much different then Yugi could assume it had once been, except that large layers of dust sat atop many of the wooden dressers and bureaus that sand covered the stone floor and carpet. Articles of clothing were scattered about, books sat open or were strewn on various surfaces, and half-used candles remained within their holders as though the person who used this room might still be living in it.

Even with all the mess and strange beauty that accompanied the room in which Yugi had entered, nothing was more thrilling than what lay on the bed directly in front of the prince and against the left wall. To Yugi, it looked as though a person had been sleeping in the bed when the curse had been cast, leaving them in a permanent state of limbo while five thousand years occurred around them. The gray statue that lay in the bed was engulfed in dust, and was holding a box of some sort. Curious, Yugi crept up next to the bed and cautiously—so as not to destroy the statue as it should have been quite fragile—removed the box from the person's grip.

"What!" Yugi nearly jumped when he saw that the hand of the statue did not stay put as it should have for a normal statue; instead the arms fell to the sides of the individual. It was though the flesh was still alive, and not even made of stone; seeing as that was impossible the young prince quickly made the assumption that the statue's limbs must be broken somewhere, and that he just couldn't see where it had cracked.

That settled, Yugi used the long sleeves of his peasant's disguise to rub the dust and sand off the mysterious box. When it was relatively clean he could see that it was made of a beautiful gold, with words written all over the sides and lid. Yugi's eyes went wide as examined the inscriptions.

"I… I can't believe it! I can read this!" he exclaimed. "This is written in an ancient form of nomadic text… they shouldn't have had this five millennia ago!"

Beyond thrilled, Yugi pulled off the lid of the golden container quickly, despite his failing efforts to be careful. Inside he could see odd shaped pieces of gold… like three-dimensional puzzle pieces. With one hand holding the box his free hand picked up one of the pieces, and he was amazed at how some of the pieces were already put together.

_Who_…Yugi thought absently as he gazed at the puzzle pieces, but he soon shrugged off the thought. _It doesn't matter now. Whoever tired to do this puzzle must have failed and given up_.

Yugi removed the diverse pieces into his hands after he sat down on the bed and placed the golden box beside him. He looked several of them over, not sure exactly what to do with them; confused, he set the bundle of gold pieces in his lap and brought the box from which they came from back to his view, so that he could read what was written on the sides and top. They could end up being a clue as to what Yugi should do with them, and from how Yugi was fairing so far it looked like he needed the assistance.

"Hmm…" he said aloud, as he soon he read, ""The one who solves me shall unlock a power like no other… a treasure of infinite value…' Oh, maybe it can grant wished! That's sounds right!" (A/N: In the manga, the puzzle really says "The one who solves me shall gain the powers and knowledge of darkness…." but I wanted to change it because the whole point of the puzzle in my story is to steer away from the darkness; after all, Yami needs to stay away from the darkness, or does he? You won't know til later, so ha-ha, you'll have to WAIT!).

His determination fired, and his dreams growing more into a reality, Yugi gathered the pieces of the puzzle up and attempted his hand at making them one. As he did so, he thought about the wish he wanted to be granted. Yugi went through many ideas: more riches, another kingdom, more toys, more games, and all kinds of other desires flooded up that were too numerous to name as he went about with the puzzle. Finally, after much thinking had ensued, Yugi sighed deeply and said to no one, "Alright, I guess I have nothing to really wish for. I have all I could possibly want, and I'm perfectly happy. If I were to wish for anything, it would be to obtain whatever the puzzle offers me, whatever that is. I have nothing else to ask for, so all that I want is whatever 'power' the puzzle contains, whatever mysteries it holds. That's all…."

Though Yugi couldn't have been sure, he was sure that he saw the puzzle pieces glow in unison with an eerie white light; eventually he let it go and continued with his project.

Hours went by like days, and every moment felt like it was being stretched into eternity. Yugi felt the heaviness of time sit on his shoulders, and although he didn't know how long he had been in the tower he knew it had to have been a good few hours. The morning sun had swept across the sky to afternoon, and the shifting sands moved about in a wave-like pattern outside. Tired and frustrated, Yugi considered giving up, about leaving the palace forgetting about it completely.

"No wonder the last person gave up" Yugi mumbled as he tried to snap tow pieces together. Though the Onimodian prince wanted to take the golden puzzle pieces back to his city with him before dark, he had also read on the box that the puzzle could not leave the castle that it was found in until it had been solved; otherwise it would never allow itself to be completed. Yugi could feel the heat of the sun cook the room, and he could feel the urge to surrender well up inside of him. He would have left at that every instant, had it not been for what kept him there—something deep inside his heart told him to stay, commanded him to complete the puzzle. He did not know what it was, but because of it he could not leave even if he wanted to. Now it felt like it was his duty to complete it. He had no choice, even if he wanted to head back home without the treasure.

He didn't.

After a long while of concentrating and trying, Yugi went into a mindless state where his thoughts drifted off while his hands still worked on the puzzle. As he came back from his absent-mindedness, he was galvanized to no longer feel a small piece of odd-shaped puzzle parts in his hands, but a whole object in his grasp. To his amazement, he looked down abruptly to stare upon a nearly-completed puzzle.

It was of a pyramid-shape, with lines traced in the gold where the various puzzle pieces were placed and a loop on the top where a brown chord had been wrapped around to use as a necklace. It was almost fully in it natural state, save the one empty spot where the last piece should go; Yugi glanced over into the golden box to see that the final piece was one with a large golden eye carved into the center, all alone without its companions to crowd around it.

"I've… finished it" Yugi breathed in astonishment, as he grabbed the ending piece and brought it to the rest of its metallic brethren. It shimmered in the bright sun, begging to complete the puzzle—entranced with his victory, Yugi thoughtlessly snapped the piece in, and with a CLICK, the Millennium Puzzle had been completed after five thousand years.

Awed with its stunning beauty, Yugi took the puzzle's chord and placed the pendant around his neck. Suddenly the same white aura that appeared around the puzzle before glowed once again, only this time it increased in its luminosity. Scared, Yugi gripped the puzzle and tried to throw it off, but somehow the puzzle stayed glued to his chest as though magnetized to his body. The light grew brighter and stronger, like the noon-day sun as it burst from the Millennium Puzzle, so bright that Yugi was forced to cover his eyes.

But before he closed them though, Yugi noticed that a twin of the Millennium Puzzle had manifested on the chest of the statue that slept right next to him in the bed, and the same eye that was on the puzzle appeared on the statue's forehead….

---

Author's Note: _Wow, that's was long! Ra, I almost bit my fingers off they hurt so much!_

_But I hope that chappie was good enough for ya; it'll keep you busy for a while I go back and update my other beauties. Until, the next update then!_

_Oh, and remember to R x R! Bye!_


	8. The Prince of Onimod

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _Oh thank Ra… sorry I haven't been able to update for so long but the stupid computer refused to let me log in or anything! I couldn't even review damnit! But, that happened to everyone, and not just me… if it was just me I would have killed myself with the horror! Seriously, every bone in my body was screaming, "Update!" and though I knew I couldn't it just kept going and going… but at least now I can shut it up!_

_So, I have now updated and that's all that matters! I hope you can all forgive me with this new chappie of this awesome ficcy! Enjoy, my readers!_

#2 Author's Note: _Thoughts are in italics, as always._

**The Prince of Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 8: The Prince of Onimod….**

_Yami floated in the void of sleep, in the darkness that was his dreamland. No dreams came, but the simple emptiness seemed fitting enough as he drifted through his subconscious. How long had he been sleeping, a few minutes or eternity? Yami did not know the answer as he hovered in the nothing, but he strangely did not care. Time felt like a burden to him, a burden which was swept away as he continued to fall through the blankness of his mind_….

Yami felt his eyes flicker as he emerged from his sleep. The noonday sun shined in his eyes, making him wish that he could shut them tight and roll on his side, away from the light. _I must have overslept_, he thought sleepily. _But no one has come to awaken me. Why_?

Yami attempted to fully open his eyes but felt something covering them, something that itched his skin… dust? He used his hands to wipe away the filth from his face, only to find that a layer of the grime was over them as well. _What_? Yami stared at his hands incredulously. _How could this—oh, Kaiba must be playing a prank on me or something. Why else would there be dust all over me_?

The prince cleaned off his hand, only to gasp as he gazed upon his skin. It was no longer the light peach color that he had known it to be, but a dark tan that he had never seen before for a person's skin. He could feel his eyes grow to the size of saucers as he couldn't draw his eyes away from the sight, flabbergasted. _But_… _this isn't right_… _I must still be dreaming, still dreaming, still dreaming_—

Like a lightening bolt had struck his mind Yami looked down to see a strange golden object hanging around his neck by a brown cord. It shimmered in the sunlight as the eye sparkled unnaturally on its front, and as Yami realized that he had no idea what it was or how he came to wearing it a voice in his head whispered to him pleasantly:

_The Millennium Puzzle_. Images flashed before his eyes of the golden box his mother had given him, before they had left the room to go back to the party. Suddenly he remembered everything now, as it came back to him in jerky thoughts and displays: he recalled the party, the witch, the mystical box with the puzzle pieces inside, the burning seal, and Kaiba….

"Kaiba!" Yami sprang from under the bed covers, the dust billowing off of him in clouds. He abruptly looked to the corner where he had seen the priest fall at the witch's powers, but his amethyst orbs were only met with an empty space. Confused and frustrated, the prince turned to look directly in front of his bed, where he saw a kid who was about his age staring back at him.

Yami's mind finally slowed to a dismal halt. If it wasn't disturbing enough that there was an unknown person in his quarters, it was that the teen looked like a mirror image of himself. His hair was the same messy black and crimson tuffs, save the fact that he was missing a few blonde locks that were instead added to his bangs. Their eyes were similar to, except the boy's were far more child-like and held a softness that replaced Yami's look of strength and sharp wit. He was dressed in sandy robes the likes that Yami had never seen before and to make matters even more reality defying, he was also wearing the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, just like Yami!

They were both silent for the longest time, watching each other awkwardly until the boy finally spoke up, his voice a bit high and meek at that. "Are you… are you… the p-prince of th-this kingdom?" His voice had been reduced to a mere whisper by the time he had finished his sentence.

"Yes, I am" Yami said as casually as he could muster, so as not to intimidate the teen further. "But, who are you?" The person had been on the ground the whole time that Yami had been awake, looking up at him from his crouched position by the wall. After a moment the other one gathered his courage and stood up, clearing his throat as he stepped up to Yami with royal authority.

"I am Prince Yugi of Onimod" the teen replied proudly, but to his despair Yami only gave him a confused look. He thought for a moment, pushing the name of both the other prince and the country around in his head to see if he could recognize it. Nothing came to mind as he came back with a blank stare.

"I must apologize" Yami said sheepishly, or as sheepishly as his personality would allow, "for I do not believe I have ever heard of your country before. Or your title, for that matter… are you from a very distant land?" Yugi shook his head.

"No, I'm not. Actually, Onimod is very close to here, and this land is a part of our territory… I guess you have no idea—"

Yami eyes snapped up, alerted by Yugi's words. "You… you must be mistaken! This land belongs to my kingdom! It always has! What makes you think you own it now! What's going on!"

Yugi stepped back instantly, galvanized by Yami's sudden fury and the flaming anger that erupted in his confused eyes. "Please, hear me out first!" Yami was tempted to continue his rant, but seeing the terror in the other's eyes made him reconsider as he clamed himself down a bit. Yugi observed his clothes, his attitude; his simple being… was this who Yugi thought it was? Was this the last prince of this forgotten kingdom, the one that the ancient text said had been forced by the puzzle to sleep for eternity until the spell was lifted? There was only one way to deal with this. "What I'm about to say might not sound right, but it's the truth. Your land… hasn't been yours for over five thousand years. You may think that you've been asleep for a night, but it's been far longer than that. You have been sleeping for five millennia here, under a spell, and now that it has been broken you're awake now… after all this time. Um… what else can I say but, um, welcome to the future?" Yugi added the last part gawkily, as he wasn't sure what to do beyond this point. How was he supposed to address an ancient prince from the times so long ago?

But his words had been more than enough to breech into Yami's mind and as quickly as his heart did pound rip apart everything he once believed in, shattering the very fabric of his reality. His world suddenly crashed around him, as he realized that, if what this boy said was true, he was alive five thousand years in the future, and if so much time had past then that meant… that could only mean….

_No, this cannot be true_! _That's insane, what's this kid talking about_! He stared at Yugi, hoping, praying that his face would crack up into a smile and say cheerfully, "Ha! Just kidding, Your Majesty! This was one of Priest Seto's pranks! Everything's fine!"

He waited, but those words never came into existence.

"That… this cannot be right!" he whispered, but his voice refused to stay so silent as he started to yell in bewilderment, shaking his head furiously like that would help relive the desire in him to tear out his hair. "This—this is all a joke! It isn't real! This is fake, none of it is real, it's not real, it's not the TRUTH!"

"It… is" Yugi tried to state calmly, but Yami interrupted him harshly.

"You're lying!" he screamed.

"Am I? See for yourself, look out the window!" Yugi shouted back, and then all was quiet as the taller prince did as he was told. He turned to his large balcony window, expecting to see the green forests and the villages, the mountains surrounded by the deep blue sky.

The blue sky was the only thing that remained of his homeland, as his frightened gaze took in the oceans of sand that covered the earth. It was an arid wasteland filled with layer upon layer of the bronze grains, the wind kicking them up like ocean spray; everywhere he looked he saw it, this same image replaying over and over in his thoughts. He ran to the balcony, his head turning left and right in a furious attempt to look for his lush forests, for the mountains and the villages, and the people of his kingdom… all he could find were the sand and the hazy canyons in the distance.

"This… how can this… be?" Yami wheeled around to look at Prince Yugi, his once strong-willed face now paralyzed in a look of pure shock and despair. Tears looked like they were beginning to well up in her amethyst eyes. "Everything is… gone. It's all… gone…."

"I'm sorry that I had to tell you, Prince—?"

"Yami…" he said quietly, absently as his eyes drifted out of focus. "Prince Yami."

"Alright, Yami, but I am sorry that I had to be the one to inform you" he said, his voice soft and kind. "I've read all about your history since I was little. My grandfather told me of the fairy tale at every bedtime, and I know what happened to you… I know it must be hard for you, waking up in another time where your kingdom is gone and you know no one. Please, though, try to stay calm—it's going to be okay."

Yami glanced up into the giant violet eyes of the Onimodian prince and felt a wave of tranquility wash over his panic. He smiled slightly. "Thank you. I appreciate that." The prince turned to see out the window again at all the sand… all the sand, like the grains of sand in the hourglass of the ages. So much time….

"Wait!" he yelled, breaking the silence of his thoughts. "If it's been five millennia, then that means my parents—"

"I would assume that they're… dead" Yugi said, trying to be as soft with it as possible as the news he was delivering could never be good. "The way I heard it, the legends say that when you were put to sleep everyone in the castle was literally petrified by the spell. Some escaped, but from what I saw on the way up here… it looks like the escapees were very few."

A tear gently slipped down Yami's cheek, then it was followed by another as he sniffled loudly.

"Mother… father…." Yami slowly walked over to his bed, the one that he had been enchanted to remain in for over five thousand years. He had down upon it depressingly, his back arched and his shoulders hunched. Yugi, with a pang of guilt in his heart at the sight of the ancient prince's reaction, made his way over to the bed and sat down next to him, placing a hand gently on the heaving shoulder of the older teen. Yami didn't push it away, instead enjoying the comfort of knowing that someone else was there and he wasn't all alone. "If they hadn't warned me, I would have been the fairy's servant easily… I was so mad at them… and now they're gone forever. I never got to forgive them." Yami paused to take in a shaky breath, and then a spark came to his eyes. "But wait! Kaiba!" He looked over at the spot where Kaiba once was, but it was still empty. "If the spell was cast, then where is Kaiba? He should be a statue too!"

"Kaiba?" Yugi asked, perplexed.

"He… he was a friend of mine, a close friend. When the fairy attacked me, Kaiba saved me by giving me the Millennium Puzzle." Yami referred to the golden pendant around his neck, and Yugi stared down at his own. _So that's what this is_… he thought. "I wish I could thank him, but… how could he have escaped? He was knocked out the last time I saw him."

"He, could have eroded away into dust. Even if he did survive, your friend must have died less than five millennia ago. You won't find him" Yugi said remorsefully.

For the millionth time, silence reigned supreme between them. He stared at the stone ground beneath him, wishing that he could wake up from whatever nightmare he was currently in, all the while knowing that this was as real. His mind a swirling mess, all he ever knew or cared about had been eroded away into sand and dust. Nothing but the shell of his former castle was left; his kingdom, his royalty, his riches, his identity, his parents, his friends, Kaiba… all that he once took for granted had been swept up from under him, forever gone. He was all alone now, and there was no one there to help him—

"Um, you okay?" Yugi asked gently, careful not to try and upset the distraught prince. Too stunned to react, Yami said nothing as the boy lightly patted him on the back. Yami nearly took him into a slight embrace so that he could weep into the desert boy's robes, but he was not that far into his depression… not yet anyways. "I… I'm sorry about your parents and Kaiba…. It must have been tough to lose them. But, you can't mourn for their loss forever, or even now. The sun will set in a couple of hours, and it's not safe to travel from here in the night."

Yami's head snapped up, his eyes full of cold tears as they sat stagnant in his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you should… come back with me to my city, to Onimod. It gets very cold in the night, and there's no food or water in this castle. If we leave now for Onimod we might get there before sundown." Yugi caught eyes with the prince as he added, "It's better than staying here, alone."

Yami stared at Yugi, thinking of the offer he had just received. He needed food and water, that he knew very well, but this castle… it was his castle. There were so many memories that went with these old stone bricks and towers, so many thoughts and good times that were all he had left of who he once was. How could leave all of this behind, all of his past, all that he was? Would he ever see it again, would he ever return to this place to rekindle the memories of the people he loved, the ones that he cherished and took for granted until this moment? Though he wanted to stay where his memories dwell, he knew that those would not feed him and he would surely die with his kingdom, and no matter how terrible he felt inside there was one thing that he was sure of: he wanted to live. He gazed into the amethysts that were watching him, almost into Yugi's soul, and truthfully replied, "Anything is better than here."

"So, you'll come?"

"Yes" Yami said, thinking of how the palace of his childhood would be lost forever to him afterwards, but perhaps clinging to his past would only bring him down faster than any homesickness could. "Yes, I will come with you."

"Oh, that's good!" Yugi exclaimed, "Now let's get outta here." With the golden box that once contained the Millennium Puzzle safely held in Yami's hands, the two princes headed down the long flight of stairs that led out of Sen Real. Yugi cheerfully took the lead, while Yami simply followed. As they found their way out of the palace and walked into the bright sun and world of endless sand, the whispering winds said their silent goodbyes to the destined prince of legend.

---

Author's Note: _Yeah! Now Yugi and Yami are heading for Yugi's homeland! What will await our Prince Yami there? Will it be someone who we all know he's dying to meet? If you read this story's summary then you should know what I'm talking about!_

_Oh well, til the next update then! Ta-ta!_


	9. A Strange New Land

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note:_ I got some great feed back from all my readers! I got 10 reviews! Yay for ME! And to show my appreciation, here is the chappie, so, um, thanks to:_

**Maridel, Isis the Sphinx, Yami Val, BlackRoseTenshi, unseenwater, cheeky-eyes, fan, SeleneXAngel, spirit fire, **and **Half-Demon Kyoko**.

_You guys rock! Thanks!_

#2 Author's Note: _Thoughts are in italics! Yes, it is true, they are!_

**The Prince of the Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 9: A Strange New Land….**

The cool evening air swept across the nearly shadowed desert in a fast flight. The sun was almost gone, just barley peeking above the ridges of the horizon for the last few moments that it would grant the desert the warmth of its light before falling into the pure darkness of the night.

Over a particularly large sand dune, a camel and its two passengers crawled up slowly, heading north towards the city of Onimod. Both were tired, both were slightly famished, and both had many questions that were in desperate need of answering.

"Are we there yet?" Yami asked as they continued to rise up the sand dune, with Namu huffing miserably as his hoofs sank into the sand with each heavy step he took. Yugi sighed, but it was in good spirits as he knew just how anxious and eager Yami was to see something along the lines of a good rest, and perhaps some food.

"Yes, we are. A few more dunes and we should see it, don't worry." Yugi looked back over his shoulder at Yami, who was staring at the night sky in its infancy. The brightest stars appeared first, and as the sky changed from an aquamarine to a navy blue the dimmer stars began to show against the dark canvas like a symphony of lights. Yugi smiled at Yami's awe. "The night sky sure is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is" Yami replied as he studied the different constellations. "Hmm… it's been over five millennia and the sky is still as amazing as it was in my time. It hasn't changed a bit." By now, though it had been a short, few-hour ride on Prince Yugi's camel Namu, Yami had already gotten over his homesickness partially; he still missed his castle, and the memories of his family and friends still haunted him to no end, but after talking to Yugi and chattering away in small talk Yami began to feel some relief from his worry. There were so many new things to discover from what Yugi had previously been describing to him about life in the desert, and now he was more than eager to get there before the dark of night struck them cold. It almost seemed like Yugi and Yami had become close friends by now—even Namu had taken a liking to the ancient prince as he had let the teen pet him earlier in their trek. Yami still gazed at the blanket of stars above them, while Yugi watched him with both sympathy and earnest.

"Was… your land a beautiful place, Yami?" Yugi inquired softly, hoping he would not regret asking this of the other so quickly. He felt his heart relax to a quiet tempo as Yami gave him a fleeting smile before returning his amethyst orbs to the sky.

"I guess so. There used to be a forest that stretched for miles, and the mountains to the east were always snowcapped, except in the hottest days of the summer months. In the spring you could smell the flowers and fresh bread, and in the autumn you could feel the cool breath of winter coming. It was a good place…."

"It must have been from the way you described it" Yugi said, turning his head back to their progress on the present sand dune, as they had just conquered the last one and were just making it to the peak of the next. "And you have a language for poetic words too. It makes me wanna see it."

"Poetry is a slight talent of mine" Yami added, blushing a little in embarrassment. "Not something that I'm too particularly proud of, but it was a gift given to me and I can't change it. But Yugi" he said, curious, "you haven't told me about your city yet. Is it beautiful too?"

"See for yourself—we're here!" Yami's head abruptly wheeled around to look ahead of him, and what he saw made him slightly gasp.

It was a city carved out of sand, made from the stone and rock of the mountainous canyon that it had been built into. It had a palace surrounded by its villages and homes for the local townsfolk, but the castle was like nothing Yami had ever seen or imagined in his life—there was no gray blocks of stone piled up on top of each other to make the walls and towers. Rather, there was almost the opposite effect, for the walls were made not of any block but of the canyon itself! An entire wall of sandstone surrounded the perimeter of the actual palace, with a giant marble gate to lead into it. Yami noted the shape of the palace was far from what his castle had been—it was a cross between a Mayan temple and the Taj Mahal, with hints of desert tribal life mixed with it. There were towers and terraces there, but they were few and seemed to be for decoration more than of any other use. The main fortification that was the palace was shaped like a Mayan temple, like a four-sided pyramid but with large steps cut into it on all of the three sides that were not a part of the canyon. It was basically a set of rectangles ranging in various sizes, each smaller one stacked on the other until it ended with a platform at the top that was supposed to be the roof; each rectangle was a floor on the palace. It was lined on each outer wall with many little windows, each shaped in half-ovals and each containing what looked like a candle for light. The town had these too, as all the many rectangular that were the housing buildings had windows as well and they had their own set of candles or lamps. From the distance the entire city looked like a sparkling light display, glittering as though stars had been showered upon it and were confined in this utopia in the desert. Yami gaped at what lay before him.

"Wow…" He breathed as his violet eyes grew wide with an incredulous gaze, as if hoping to capture every sight he saw in his mind all at once. "I've never seen anything like this! It's spectacular!"

"It is, isn't it?" Yugi remarked proudly. "A work of art, some might call it, but I like to call it, home." He observed Yami, who was speechless as he studied the city, and then he turned his soft eyes back upon his capital. "We should go in soon. It will be nightfall in a moment, and the last thing we need is to get stuck outside."

---

It took but a few moments before Yugi and Yami were right in front of the city gates, which were made of polished sandstone and marble that looked very strong and sturdy against invaders. At the moment it was open, but just after the two traveled inside two guard-like men wearing only skirt-like attire and shoes approached the marble gates and closed them promptly.

"We have a curfew in Onimod" Yugi explained as they made their way through the main entrance to the bustling marketplace that was ahead of them. "Everyone has to be in the city by sundown, or else you'll be left outside. The desert is far from safe during the day, let alone at night—you can get attacked, bitten, or eaten by a number of things, but no one can help you after dark. But, that's only if you're out that late" Yugi added, noting the shocked expression on Yami's face, "and besides, the city's more fun at night anyways!"

Yami soon agreed as he took in the atmosphere of the city's villages; they weren't really villages, but marketplaces that were lively and at work at nearly every hour. At the present moment, the city streets were beginning to wind down for the night, but yet it was still busy with people walking up and down gazing at all that there was to be bought from the street vendors. Fruit, jewelry, furniture, toys, candles, utensils, pottery, blankets, and trinkets were some of the many items up for sale. Some of the vendor stands were empty, as they had closed earlier but others were still selling bundles.

The unique air of the market was not only influenced by what it displayed, but also by the people that made up it. Yami saw men and women, children and adults, both youthful and elderly as he rode on Namu beside Yugi, and from what he could see the style of dress for the peasants was pretty much the same: sand-colored robes or clothing items. The men had a tendency to not have much on, ranging from loin clothes to skirt like wardrobes to full out garb like Yugi's, depending upon how much money they had to spend on cloth. The same principle seemed to apply to women as well, but they kept more cloth on themselves then their male counterparts as they had far more to cover. He saw some girls with their faces covered by veils and their heads guarded by a shawl, while there were still others that wore nothing more than what was needed to shield themselves respectably. Yami found himself blushing quite intensely when he saw such women pass, but no before noticing how he was getting odd looks from the passing folk that approached them. Anytime Yami caught eyes with them he could see their eyes look him up and down, before widening to the point that Yami thought they would have a seizure and then they would sharply keep their stares at the ground. Finally Yami confronted Yugi about this.

"Um, Yugi, why do your people give me such strange looks?" Yami watched as Yugi turned to look at him, his eyes half-lidded as the teen yawned, obviously exhausted from the trip. But as soon as he gazed at Yami for a moment or two something clicked in his head because his amethyst orbs went just as wide as everyone else's and then he smacked his forehead with his hand.

"Ugh, how did I not think of that?" Yugi said, cursing at himself nastily. Yami looked to him, worried.

"Is there something the matter with me?" he asked patiently. Yugi could see the nervousness in the other's eyes and he smiled to help ease it a bit.

"Well, there kinda is" Yugi admitted, "and it's with your appearance." With Yami's blank stare as a response Yugi went into further detail. "You look _just _like me. You and I have so much in common with our looks that we almost look like twins… ah, why didn't I consider this earlier? Now I have to hide your face, and clothes" Yugi said, referring to the strange rich wardrobe that Yami currently had on. "Hold on, I have an idea."

This idea of Yugi's entitled taking Yami and Namu to a small stand at the edge of the marketplace, where they were selling desert wear like cloaks, robes and shawls. The majority of them were a sand coloration, but others were black, white, and sometimes a reddish brown, but those were most likely the ones that cost the most as well. Yugi proceeded to jump off of Namu when they got closer to the vendor, and then tied the reigns of his camel companion to a large wooden pole nearby. The Onimodian prince petted Namu's muzzle as the camel nudged his master in the shoulder affectionately, before Yugi turned to speak with Yami.

"Just wait here" Yugi said, "while I go and buy you a robe or something. It should only take a second." With that, he eagerly ran off towards the stand, where the dark-skinned man who ran the vendor greeted him with a smile containing only two teeth and grungy ones at that. Without Yugi around and with Namu standing still Yami could now see the marketplace in action, whereas before they were moving and his attention was constantly drawn from one thing to another. He let his gaze fall over the street behind them, where he observed as a group of children ran about with a ball in their hands at the distain of the shop-keepers whose stands were being bombarded by childish laughter. Women with baskets came and went, paying for small blue spheres that Yami assumed to be food, dropping their purchases into the woven bag before trotting off into the crowds that surrounded them and disappearing. There was life here beyond compare, and Yami could only smile as he glanced from one person to the next.

That was, until his amethysts fell upon an old beggar woman who stood halfway in one of the alleys on the other side of the road and a couple houses down. For some reason Yami could not remove his eyes from this woman, though he could not see why—she looked like anyone else in the market. She was old, as was obvious from the deep-set wrinkles in her sun stained face; her eyes were beady little pools of black surrounded by creamy white, above a nose similar to a vulture's beak as it crookedly hung over her small mouth. Yami could see wisps of white straggly hair from under the red and black bandana that was tied around her head, and the ones he did see fell all the way to her waist. Her robes were made of sand-colored cloth, and despite the fact that she was almost completely cloaked by her outfit Yami could see how frail she appeared—how old and unnaturally frail, like a sudden breeze would reduce her to sand in a moment.

_Why can't I look away_? he asked himself, but as he did he noticed how the elderly woman's mouth slowly curved into a grin consisting of many rotting teeth and yellowish gums. Her eyes then twinkled maliciously, and Yami saw that they were as black as he had originally assumed—they were more of a muddled green or a smudged emerald. When she looked at him the world fell into an unstable silence to Yami's ears, for all he could hear was his own breathing and the woman's chuckling as the images of everything else became gray and lifeless. All he could see was this beggar, and now she had started to chortle in a high-pitched voice like a bloodthirsty hyena.

_Who are you_! he wanted to ask but as he thought it she vanished, only to suddenly materialize in the middle of the road, amongst the others in the marketplace. Still the world was silent and colorless as she spoke, her words like nails on an old chalkboard that bit into Yami's heart viciously.

"_Years and years fall like grains of ancient sand, and now the time has come_… _now the worlds of dark and light collide once more and bring reckoning over those who oppose the change_." Yami could feel his heart pound faster and faster, his breathing growing quick as he felt light-headed at the beggar's words. His vision blurred in and out dangerously. "_Soon fate will bring thee to his knees, child_! _Destiny has brought thee here, and it will bring thee to follow the path of darkness once more_!"

His vision fading… in and out…the world spinning beneath him… the woman cackling, piercing his ears… a burning sensation on his forehead as sweat started to form on his brow… his breathing shallow and his heart beating faster and faster…it wouldn't end, never would it end—

"Prince Yami?" Yugi's voice asked from behind, and this was enough to pull Yami from his trance and wheel around on Namu's back to see his new friend holding a tea-stained cloak in his arms and a worried look on his face. This worry only doubled when he saw Yami's face. "Are you okay? You look ill…."

Yami was just glad that he was back in reality, from whatever he was just involved in. He felt fine again, after he had almost considered collapsing from the dismal state he had been in. Before he had felt like he would faint in a moment, but now it was as if it had never happened. He could feel the droplets of sweat on his neck and forehead, which reminded him of the strange feeling he had felt there just a moment ago. Yami cautiously placed a hand to his forehead, but the phantom burning was gone—the long lost memory of his last encounter with it five millennia ago, however, was not. Was this the same thing, was that what he had experienced back then returning for another shot?

Feeling nervous Yami whizzed back to look at the marketplace street, to look for the elderly beggar from before. To his relief and shock she had disappeared, having only been there a second ago. Who was she, and what was that whole incident about anyways? Yami's head was filled with so many new questions, but his tired mind was not up to thinking much at the present time. He held his head in his hand despairingly as he felt how worn out that event had been on him.

"Yami? Hello?" Yugi said, now extremely tense about what just happened while he was gone. It had been but a second, but that seemed to have been long enough for Yami to become so deathly pale with some odd factor that he could obviously not name. The ancient prince did not answer him for a while, staring out at the market place street as he did so, before snapping back to Yugi and giving him a sad expression.

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing Yugi. I'm probably just, tired, or something…." He rubbed his half-lidded eyes casually and smiled. "Don't worry about me so much. After all, I've been alive for five thousand years—doesn't that say something?"

"Yeah, that you should in a coffin right now!" Yugi said, joking; he was happy as he managed to get a chuckle out of the other easily. "But, look I got you this cloak. Throw it on quick, before we head up to the palace." Yami did as he was told, pulling the beige cloak around himself and slipping the oversized hood over his hair and face to hide it. Yugi hopped back onto Namu as he undid the reigns from the post, before giving the camel a gentle kick on the side with his legs to command it to move further, up to where the palace was.

---

Hidden in a dark alleyway of the marketplace the old woman snickered to herself in pleasure. She undid the red bandana that surrounded her head like a snake, and allowed for her long strands of silver hair to flow from it like water over her shoulders. She chuckled softly to the night.

There was a silence in the air, a hum to the evening as her body suddenly began to morph. Her skin slowly paled considerably, turning milky white as the wrinkles constricted, forcing the skin to tighten so that it became smooth and young once more. The white locks that cascaded down to her waist instantly transformed into long black hair that fluttered in the breeze, while her body changed from the crumpled form of an elderly woman to some in their youthful twenties or thirties. Her spine crackled as it straightened, and she grew in height by a few inches as the rest of became youthful once more. As a final touch, the beady eyes of the beggar were altered to that of emerald pools that were bright and held multiple years behind them, cloaked by an ageless beauty that also hid intentions.

A dark chuckle escaped her moist lips, then turning into a cackle as she howled to the navy blue heavens. Her green eyes flashed with excitement as she grinned with carnivorous teeth.

"And now you've returned, Prince Yami…."

---

Author's Note: _Phew… this was actually gonna be longer but I had to shorten it due to the fact that I wouldn't have been able to finish! But now I have, so I hope you liked it!_

_Yes… maybe the person Yami will see will be in the NEXT chapter, not this one… but we did see SOMEONE now didn't _we_? And you all think it's gonna be KAIBA! Wow, that would be TOO easy, now wouldn't it? But you'll just have to wait for what comes next!_


	10. Foreign Enchantment

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _The reviews I've been getting back our fantastic! You guys make my day—now let's restart the process again with this brandy new chapter from yours truly!_

_First let me thank_ **Elfbrat18, Maridel, BlackRoseTenshi, spirit fire, cheeky-eyes, fan, feyannabellee, unseenwater, Isis the Sphinx, Masami Mistress of Fire, **_and _**SeleneXAngel**.

_You are all awesome! Thankies mucho_! _Oh, and no, the person we were all waiting for is NOT in this chappie—wait til the next one. Sorry! _

#2 Author's Note:

**The Prince of the Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 10: Foreign Enchantment….**

It wasn't a far travel—the two princes made their way up the main street for another few minutes, prior to arriving before the royal palace of Onimod. Though Yami had his cloak covering his eyes, he did try to take a look at what this modern fortress appeared as up close; however, it was too dark to see so he kept his head down as they rode up to another set of marble gates, where two guardsmen dressed in caramel colored kilts, shawls over their heads, and holding wooden spears waited.

"Good evening, Your Majesty" the guard to their left said; though he was much older than Yugi was, he spoke his name with obvious respect for his title. "Returning from your latest adventure, sire?"

"Yes, and it was the best one yet!" Yugi replied cheerfully, feigning his giddy personality quite well from what Yami could hear. He kept his head down so that the guards could not see his face at all, but in return he couldn't see what was going on at all. He could only listen to the present conversation.

"Good, Your Highness. You may pass—" the first guard was about to open up the gates but the second guard brought forth his spear and pointed it at Yami.

"Halt!" he shouted. "Who is this who rides with you, Your Highness?"

Yami, though he could not see the spear directed at him, could feel how tense Yugi got at the question and could assume that this might end badly, if Yugi didn't think of something soon. Without a bit of nervousness being depicted by his face Yugi looked at the second guard as though nothing was out of the ordinary and addressed him with a calm voice.

"He's, um, a new servant of mine… yes, that's all! A new servant! I brought him along with me on my journey for possible protection." Both princes waited uneasily for the guards to respond. They both smiled.

"Well, in that case, continue on." The gates were pushed open, and with a rough creak they were wide enough for the camel and its riders to enter. With a large grin Yugi thanked the sentinels and Namu proceeded forward, onto the palace grounds and into the courtyard.

"Your _servant_?" Yami hissed once they were out of earshot of the guards. "Since when did I become YOUR slave?"

"I just said that to keep the guards off of you", Yugi replied. "After all, they wouldn't believe me if I said that you were a five thousand prince who I woke up in the castle we read in fairy tales?"

"Hmm, you have a point."

"Exactly. Listen, while you're here, I can't let anyone see you—because of how alike we look, you know?" Yami did know, and he nodded to show that he understood. Just being in the marketplace for a few moments was enough attention to last him a while, and the last thing he needed was for some servant at the palace to see the two of them together and their whole plan would be ruined. "It would probably be for the best that you stay out of sight, that way there won't be any problems."

"I agree with you" he said quietly. "I mean, you wouldn't be able to explain to your people about my appearance due to my… history. But where will I hide?"

"My room of course." Yugi smirked while Yami blinked.

"And… that would be?" Yugi answered the other's question by pointing up at the large temple-like palace, gesturing to one of the upper levels.

"Up there. My quarters up close to the top." Yami gave his friend a puzzled look before shaking his head.

"How are we going to get up there without being seen?" he asked, curious as he knew that there had to be millions of servants crawling around the many floors that led to Yugi's.

"What?" Yugi said, his voice sounding like he had been painfully insulted. "You don't think I have a plan?"

"Actually, no."

"Well, I do!" Yugi announced in a whisper, eyeing Yami. "I have a secret passage that leads up to my room in the palace. That's where we're going!"

"Oh." Yami looked at Yugi, and though it was really too dark for him to see his companion he knew the boy was smiling at his new idea. "We never had a secret passage in our castle, or at least none that I knew about. I always got out of my room by crawling down some rope that I had in Sen Real just in case. That's pretty much the same, though." Yugi nodded.

"I guess so. Okay, I'm going to direct Namu to go through the royal gardens. There might be some guards out so keep quiet."

They rode past a couple of monument-like statues that lined the main pathway before entering what Yami thought were probably the royal gardens. He looked up at one of the statues, squinting to try and see what they were like only to be startled as the eyes of the sculpture seemed to follow him. Holding his breath in shock, he eventually let out a long sigh when they were a far distance from that particular decoration. In his attempts to forget the strange eyes of the monument, Yami forced his gaze away from the side of the path and onto what lay ahead.

The gardens surprised Yami more than the creepy statue; for some reason he had expected the courtyard to be sandy and somewhat similar to the desert motif of the markets and towns, however they were the exact opposite.

Trees—both palm trees and woodland trees—were everywhere in the lush, green gardens. Flower beds were set up in various spots all over the area, and the walkways were paved with brick and slate. The path Yami and Yugi came from extended into an intersection, where in the center a large water fountain stood. It was still working, and even in the dark Yami could see the crystal liquid flow like blue ribbons in the wind from the mouths of carved fish and mermaids' urns. All was quiet, save the gurgling of the moving water in the fountain, and it would have been completely dark had it not been for paper lanterns that were strung on a thin wire from tree to tree.

"Amazing…" Yami exclaimed in awe as his violet orbs shifted from one decoration to the next, admiring all the beauty and richness. Yugi continued to command Namu forward, guiding the camel around the fountain and closer to the palace. As they past it Yami peered at the dark pool of water, and thought he saw a glint of red and gold swim about. He gasped, but smiled at the wonders that the garden seemed to behold all around, with surprises on every turn.

"You like it?" Yami heard Yugi whisper to him as they neared the side of the fortress, with Namu moving close to the wall and hidden in the shadow of it.

"It's incredible" Yami replied, his eyes still trained to stare about in case another miracle appeared. He was so intent on this that he failed to notice that Namu had stopped and that Yugi was leaping off the camel until the prince had to tap his friend on the shoulder to gain his attention. "Hmm?"

"This is it—come on, I'll show you this stuff tomorrow." Yami hopped off the camel slowly, as he could feel his weariness in his every movement. While Yugi gave Namu a thank you—which happened to be a sugar cube—for the long journey they just endured, he tried to look for the secret passage Yugi had mentioned earlier—all he saw was a blank wall.

"Yugi, where's that passage you were talking about? I see nothing here…." Yugi looked up at him from where he was affectionately scratching Namu behind the ears, and then walked up to the bare wall, placing a hand on the stone.

"Right here." Out of nowhere the Onimodian prince began to mutter odd words in a language that Yami could hardly comprehend. With this chanting came a creaking sound, and then a groan as the area where Yugi's hand was suddenly fell away from the rest of the wall, sinking into it in a rectangular mass that was about the size of a doorway. Yami watched with incredulous wonder at the new passage that appeared before them like magic. _Perhaps that's what it is—magic. How else can he open a secret door like that_? Yami thought, as the piece of the wall that had sunk in then slid off to the side, revealing a dark hallway that had stairs leading downward into it like a basement cellar. Yugi then looked around to make sure that no one was around to see them and then slipped inside quietly. Yami was still staring at the door when Yugi poked his head back out of the darkness.

"Well, aren't you coming?" the Onimodian prince asked impatiently.

"Um, what about your—"

"Namu will be fine—he roams around the gardens all the time, one of the servants will eventually put him away" Yugi reassured him, and as Yami took a kind-hearted glance at Namu he rubbed the camel's neck before finally following Yugi into the dark tunnel.

It was so pitch-black that Yami couldn't see his hand in front of his own face, much less Yugi; all he heard was the boy's footsteps as they trudged down the steps in front of him. Then Yami heard Yugi chanting again in a low voice, and in a second there was light throughout the stairway, nearly startling yami. He could now see that Yugi had a torch in his hand that he had removed from the wall, and with his incantation he made it glow with a small firelight. Yami watched it amazed.

"So, you know magic?" Yami asked. Yugi nodded and smiled.

"Yes—as a prince I'm being trained in not just the art of warfare but of some mage skills as well. My grandfather thinks it will be important for me to know magic, so I've been training under the best white mage that we have here in Onimod. I'm somewhat good, but war and magic aren't my main concerns." He looked back at Yami, his amethyst eyes made even more translucent by the flickering flame, as he proceeded to turn around and continue down the steps with Yami close behind. With a half-hearted laugh he said, "Personally I hate it. I'm not really the tough type, and I hate the sight of blood and gore. I want to rule my country peacefully, but I guess peace isn't always possible. I can always hope for that though—maybe I'll get my wish and my country will stay out of war and conflict for as long as my reign resides."

"It will only be that way if you make it so, Yugi" Yami said as they walked on, their footsteps the only sound echoing through the passage. "I was more for the art of war, but if you are not then you need not choose that path. Stay true to yourself, and your country will rightly follow."

Yugi was quiet for a second. "Thank you, Yami. That means a lot."

They continued down in silence, the flame on the torch making their shadows flicker in the halo of light it emitted. The stairway seemed to lead on forever, and just when Yami thought he had gone so far below that they would see the gates of Hell, they hit a wall. At first Yami assumed that they had gone the wrong way and was about to inform Yugi of this, until he saw the youth pull on a rope ladder that had been casually hidden in a crevice by the wall. It led up into the dark abyss above their heads like a chimney—in an instant Yugi put his torch in a holder on the wall nearby, grabbed hold of some of the lower rungs and began his steady climb to the top. Yami was about to follow suit when he remembered that he was still carrying the golden box of the Millennium Puzzle.

He hesitated. "Yugi, I can't climb this." The younger prince looked down.

"Why not, Yami? You scared of heights?" Though Yugi had said this in an innocent tone free of sarcasm Yami still gave him a slight glare as he sweatdropped.

"No… I just can't grip the rungs when I have _this_ to hold." He showed Yugi the metallic box, and the other boy took a moment to ponder what they would do about it.

Finally he said, his voice bouncing off the narrow walls of the pit they were in, "Yami, take off your cloak and wrap the box in it—then you can carry the edges of cloth in one hand and you'll be free to climb up, so long as you don't let go."

"Hmm, okay I can do that." Just as he was told Yami removed his cloak from around his body and placed it flat on the ground; then he situated the puzzle box in the center of it before taking up the edges and bundling them together in his hand so that the load resembled a knapsack.

With this done, both of the teens progressed up the rope ladder, with Yami holding the cloth sack in his left hand careful not to let go. Again the climbing felt like forever, and just when he thought his arms would give out from exhaustion he saw Yugi climb up onto a ledge that was above them. Yami threw the sack over onto the ledge before climbing up himself. The ledge was a confined, cut-out space in the wall, and Yami had to be on his hands and knees to fit in it comfortably. He saw Yugi up ahead of him, crawling into the tunnel like a gopher, and had no choice but to tag along into the cubby hole.

Up ahead of him, in the darkness he heard a soft click, like a door opening. Yugi blocked the way at first, but then he was gone as he vanished into an opening straight ahead. Yami pursued, and found himself squirming out through a small metal doorway that moved him into a large walk-in closet. He inched out, landing on his hands and knees, before getting up and watching as Yugi closed the small door behind them.

"What now?" Yami asked, but Yugi put a hand to his mouth.

"Shh!" he hissed, "Or the servants might hear you." Cautiously the Onimodian prince removed his hand from Yami's lips and crept over to a door that was barely visible in the blackness on the opposite wall. He gripped the metal handle on it and turned it slightly, peeking out to see what was in the room adjacent to this one. Yami watched silently as Yugi made a gesture for him to stay, and then the boy slipped into the other room to scout for servants.

A second later he returned, and signaled for the other to come out—Yami did so on his tip-toes, as he felt like any sudden move would result in a booming sound in response. Yugi opened the closet door wide for his companion, and as he did so Yami stepped out of the closet, and into Yugi's bedroom.

The room was quite large; though it was nearly too dark to see Yami could tell that it was almost as big as his old room once was. The floor was a cold, slick stone with a decorative carpet covering the majority of it, and various pieces of lavish furniture were set up so it was almost like a parlor as well. A chandelier of iron and candles hung from a chain linked to the ceiling, and at the moment the candles were without their flames. A few big, half-oval windows flanked the walls to his right, looking over the grand city in its nightly luminescence. Wit its headboard up against the wall opposite the closet, the giant bed was the most magnificent piece of furnishings there. The blankest and covers were a deep crimson and gold color, and the pillows resembled fluffy marshmallows; above the bed was a giant canopy surrounding the bed like a tent, and four giant bed post legs extended from the corners of it ten feet up, holding the canopy in place.

"So, this is your room then?" Yami said, trying to act unimpressed but was a bit jealous that his room was not nearly as well furnished.

"Yeah, it's mine. I designed it myself… with help of course. I'm not really an artist." Yugi blushed a little in embarrassment. "Never was." Yami stalked the room for a bit, looking at all the exquisite things that were housed in it even if he could only see half of them in the darkness.

"So", he asked absently, his violet eyes traveling around the bedroom, "where do I sleep?" Yugi had a puzzled look on his face for an answer, and his head then wheeled about as he gazed at all his furniture.

"Well, um, you could…" he said, trying to think of a place quick. "You can sleep… no, not there… how about… naw, that wouldn't work… um…." He placed his fingers to his chin, pondering vaguely. Then his eyes felt to one of his huge lounging sofas and he pointed to it for Yami to see. "You can sleep there. It's really quite cozy, and it should do until I can find you a proper bed. Is that alright, Prince Yami?" The youth looked to the other prince for an answer.

Yami was looking over the large, cushy sofa and he felt his eyelids droop reluctantly. Though he had been asleep for over five thousand years, all of the recent excitement had zapped him of his energy completely, and the strange encounter with that beggar woman still hung over him like a cloud. He yawned dramatically before answering in a tired tone, "Sure. I'll sleep anywhere right about now…."

"Okay, great!" Yugi went over to his own bed and yanked off one of his many pillows along with a silky comforter. He threw them over to Yami, who barely caught them his arms. "Here, use these."

"Thanks" Yami mumbled, and with that he trudged over to the couch, set up the pillow and blanket, and then fell onto the sofa already halfway into dreamland. He could feel his eyelids fall over his eyes and the world growing very quiet….

"There's so much stuff we should do tomorrow—don't you think so, Yami?" Yugi asked as he went to change into his pajamas, but Yami was already out like a light.

---

Author's Note: _Okay, so again, we will meet the person in the NEXT chappie, I PROMISE! Yes, I mean it—you'll see. And still, thanks for all the wondrous feedback! I love you guys! Remember to R x R!_


	11. Desert Rose

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _Oh, so sorry for the lateness! I know I should have typed this all up as of yesterday but I decided not to so it is entirely my fault! Gomen!_

_Oh, and the mystery person is really not that big a deal. I know some of you are dying to know(_ cough **Maridel **cough_) but it's nothing special. You'll see soon enough._

#2 Author's Note: _Ooh, thoughts are in italics… that's a hard concept to learn!_ (So learn it now!)

**The Prince of the Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 11: Desert Rose….**

_Once again Yami floated in the realm of dreams and sleep, although this time things were different from his last slumber. This time, Yami wondered what things would be like when he awoke from this deep and dreary state of sleep—would he be in Prince Yugi's room in the strange new land that was once his own, or would he wake up in this own room, in his own bad, and realize that all the previous events had been but a dream conjured up by his fatigue during his birthday ball? Would he arise and discover that it was all just some crazy dream, just a figment of his imagination gone haywire? Yami almost begged for it to be the latter, so that he could stop asking all these questions and remain back in his own world, with his family and friends beside him? He nearly prayed, almost begged, and perhaps someone would hear his pleas and so his wish would come true_….

Pulled out of the darkness of sleep, Yami felt the bright sunlight glow behind his eyelids. Slowly he opened them to see if maybe he was right—maybe it had all been a dream, maybe he was back in his own room once more, safely away from Onimod and within his realm of sanity again. He opened them, his eyelids fluttering slightly as he adjusted to the bright sunlight… and there he saw the sand-colored walls with intricate artwork, which resembled nothing close to his grey, slate-colored stone walls.

He was still in Yugi's room, the unmistakable reality of it shaking him back to the panic of the situation. He realized that he was indeed permanently stuck in this veracity, and that there would be no waking up from it. He was trapped here and there was no getting out of it by simply wishing that it was a dream—no, he was to be here, his fate lay within this realm and in this time. His sudden hope gone, he tried to remain optimistic about the recent events and decided to take in the sight that was Prince Yugi's quarters.

With sunlight now filling the room Yami could see it in its entirety—he could see the beige walls and the strange art that was painted upon the sandy surfaces. The room had two large windows facing the city of Onimod to his left, and though they extended from about his chest height to the very high ceiling the very top half that was curved gently over in a mushroom-like shape had stained glass covering it, causing some of the early morning sunlight to become colorful as it fell upon the ornamental carpet that laid on Yugi's stone floor. The bed of Onimod's only heir was just as ornate in the daylight as it was mystical in the night, for the reds and golds shimmered rubies and coins against the dark wood of the bed posts. All of Yugi's furniture was dark wood, and his canopy was adorned with gold coins and tassels. Unique trinkets from his various adventures were scattered about Yugi's room, and the chandelier that hung from the center of a ceiling painted with the mural of the bluest heavens was sprinkled with hanging crystals and a new set of white taper candles.

While admiring the magnificent room, Yami decided to stretch and sleepily walk over to one of the large windows to get a good look at what Onimod looked like during the day. He noted that Yugi was no where to be seen, but he could assume that the youth would be back soon enough. Through the crystal window panes Yami gazed upon the gardens, witnessing how they were far more spectacular during the morning they could ever be at night.

The definite opposite of the desert beyond, the gardens were a replica of paradise; Lush emerald trees and shrubs were everywhere, but didn't overtake the garden like a forest would. Instead it resembled more of a park then anything, as flower beds were evenly spread out in certain sections around the courtyard with odd, alien-like flora overflowing the plots in which they were planted. The fountain was even more enchanting in the light, for the water now sparkled like moving crystal, and the colorful fish glowed under the clear water like gems in glass. The pathways were paved of a soft, sandy brick, complementing the whimsical feel of fantasy that the garden bestows.

But, it wasn't just the landscaping that took Yami's breath away. Butterflies and birds of millions of shades of so many colors fluttered and soared through the gardens, resting on the flowers and tree branches after long trips to find their "desert oasis". People were also outside—most likely servants tending to the plants and feeding the wildlife that had taken residence within it. One servant girl in particular caught Yami's eyes instantly; she was sitting by the fountain, tossing crumbs to the birds and into the fish pond for the giant Koi-like fish to snatch. She had short brown hair cut to her shoulders so that it framed her lightly tanned face, and if he gazed close enough, he thought he caught sight of her eyes—a light azure that twinkled in the morning light. She was in a simple sand-colored robe like Yugi was the other day, but hers was less adorned if that were even possible.

Yami watched her as she took a handful of bread crumbs from a woven sack she was carrying and she held out her hand to the sky. In seconds a flock of small green birds with long, yellow tails perched on her hand and nibbled away at the crumbs; the girl smiled sweetly as the birds chirped to her and some took residence on her head and shoulders. Yami smiled as he observed her taking out more crumbs and gracefully throwing them to the fish—

"Hello?" a voice yelled from behind the closet door. "Yami? Are you awake yet? Hello!" Startled, Yami walked over to the closet and opened the door to let Yugi in. Instead of the plain civilian wear he had on before, the Onimodian prince wore robes of deep red and gold like his bedspread. Gold decorative coins were strung on a shawl that went around his shoulders, and on his feet were red slippers with a gold trim. In his hands he was carrying a large silver tray with an assortment of odd-shaped fruits and pastries, and on his face he wore a big grin.

"Took you long enough" Yugi commented as he took the silver tray over to a coffee table by the sofa Yami slept on last night. "I was yelling for what, three minutes? Where were you?"

"Um, ah, sleeping?" Yami said as he tried to put on his most convincing face—for some reason he didn't want Yugi to know he had been staring at that servant girl from before. Yugi's kind eyes sent a shiver up Yami's back as he looked at him curiously. Finally he backed off.

"Hmm, okay. Say, did you see the view of the gardens yet? It's really good from up here!"

"Oh, ah, no, not yet" Yami lied.

"Well, come take a look! The courtyard is always nice in the morning." Yugi walked over to the same window Yami had been looking through earlier. Nervous, Yami tried to change the subject.

"Um, Yugi?" The other boy turned around, listening intently. "How did you get up here AND carry the tray too?" Yami pointed to the tray covered in food and Yugi just smiled.

"I told you I can use magic, right? Well…." Yugi suddenly gave his whole focus onto the tray and brought up his right hand as though lifting an imaginary object. Then his eyes glowed purple, which made Yami gasp for a second—before he could even ask Yugi what was happening he noticed that the tray was no longer sitting on the coffee table like it had once been… it was floating in the air! It levitated like this for a minute or so before Yugi brought his hand down slowly, and in concert the tray gently came down to sit upon the table once more. Yugi's eyes went back to their regular luminosity, and the boy gave a slight sigh.

"You see?" Yugi asked, and Yami nodded dumbstruck. "I can move objects with telepathy too, from my magic training. I'm not really strong as of yet, but I'm getting there. With a little more training I'll get to lift people soon too!"

"Incredible…" Yami said, before noticing that he was being pulled by the hand to the window by an impatient Yugi.

"Come! You have to see this!" Yami sighed reluctantly, allowing the younger one to guide him over to where he once stood just a moment before to gaze upon the oasis.

"That's the wishing fountain" Yugi said as he pointed to the huge fountain in the intersection of the paved roads. "And that's the main garden, Sis Lereal. They usually plant Kikiis and Arens there… those are really pretty in the fall. Oh, and do you see that girl right there? The one with the brown hair?" Yugi eagerly pointed to the servant, and Yami gulped.

"Um, that girl? Yes, I see her" Yami replied, trying not to sound too interested.

"Her name's Anzu. Her mother's one of the main servants here in the palace, so I've been friends with her since we were little. She's really nice, and she's really friendly too."

"Anzu…." Yami let the sound of her name roll over his lips as he spoke it. He felt the sound move off his tongue and off his lips, like the beautiful crystal water of the fountain.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Yugi asked, startling Yami again.

"I, um, said I was hungry!" Yami lied readily.

"Oh, you are? Well then, I have some breakfast ready over there on the tray so we might as well eat. I didn't eat much downstairs in the main hall, and I barely made it back here with that plate." The two princes turned over to the couch; Yami, though extremely reluctant to leave the window, followed sadly. However, the smell of the fresh baked breads on the tray drew Yami's attention away from the windowpane and onto his empty stomach—he hadn't had a good meal since the ball five thousand years ago.

They both sat down on the cushy sofa, and Yugi instantly grabbed a strange twisted-shaped breadstick that was on the tray. Yami stared at the food, unable to recognize any of the fruits or breads that were there. Yugi looked up, his mouth stuffed with the half-eaten breadstick, and saw Yami's expression.

"What's wrong? You're acting like you've never binta swirl before" Yugi commented, but then smiled sheepishly. "Oh yeah, I forgot that you've never seen this stuff. Sorry!" The Onimodian prince picked up a star-shaped fruit of a bright yellow coloration with a long green leaf extending from one of the points( A/N: I got this from Kingdom Hearts… which by the way I no own, at all). "This is a paupau fruit. These grow great in the spring. Here—" Yugi ripped off one of the points on the paupau fruit. "Take a bite. It's really sweet."

Yami looked at the broken arm of the paupau fruit curiously. The inside was a fleshy green color, and appeared to be very juicy. Cautiously, the prince took the fruit from Yugi and brought it to his mouth to take a bite—the flesh melted away in his mouth as he slowly let the sweet nectar that was the juice run over his tongue. After a moment of chewing, Yami swallowed the fruit. Yugi waited for Yami's response, which soon came out as a pleased grin.

"You know, they say that two people who share a paupau fruit will have their destinies intertwined" Yugi mused, but Yami didn't hear him as he gobbled down the rest of the rest of his piece. "So, you like it?"

"That's… delicious!"

"I told you" Yugi joked, as he himself took a nibble off of the yellow star. "A lot of the food in Onimod is like this. Someday I have to let you try roasted desert snake—it doesn't sound all that great but it's really meaty."

Yami listened intently as Yugi explained the various dishes in the summer—grilled boar meat with paupau sauce, binta swirls with cocoamo dipping sauce, fried kawuakua bird in nutten oil, and Yugi's apparent favorite, ice cream. Yami had never heard of such strange yet wonderful things, especially not ice cream. Though he was intrigued with the oddities that were Prince Yugi's descriptions of Onimodian food, for some reason his mind always wandered back to that servant girl who fed the fish and birds—the one named Anzu. Her soft chestnut hair and sapphire eyes remained a frozen image in his mind's eyes, and he could not get rid of it no matter how hard he tried. She did have very beautiful blue eyes…..

"So, what do you think?"

"Huh?" Yami's attention snapped back awake as he was pulled from his daydream due to Yugi's question. "About what?"

"About going to the library later. I was just saying that our library has a good historical and folk lore section. It's stock full of books on the legends of your story. I think it would be a good idea to check it out. So" Yugi said, dragging out the word as he made sure Yami was actually listening this time, "what do YOU think, Yami?"

"I guess that's a good idea" Yami replied, trying to stay focused on Yugi. Yugi paused to take another bite of his breadstick before speaking again.

"So, anyway, what do you think of Anzu?" The last sentence caught Yami off by surprise. His violet eyes grew wide.

"Hm!" Yami's focus was now permanently captured. "I, uh… well, I… she's um—"

"Nice, right?"

"Yeah, she's, um, nice."

"Good, because if I needed to introduce you to anyone here in Onimod it would be her."

"Yami's ears perked up at that. "Really?" he inquired. "How come?"

"Well, Anzu knows me better than anyone. She understands my love for ancient puzzles and mysteries, and she knows about my searches to find the castle of your legend. She would understand your situation because I've told her about your legend. She would accept you."

"I see" Yami replied thoughtfully. "So, when can I meet her?" he asked eagerly.

It was Yugi's turn to look surprised, and Yami then realized that he had been a little _too_ eager on that last question. "Already?" he asked. "That was fast! You haven't even been here a day and you want to see her? Well I—" Yugi's eyes suddenly flickered with a mischievous light, and his tone changed from flabbergasted to teasing. "Oh… I know what's going on…."

"What?"

"Yeah, you like Anzu…." Yami's mouth gaped.

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do…."

"Seriously, Yugi, I don't know—"

"You like Anzu, you like Anzu, you—" Yami clasped a hand over Yugi's mouth.

"Alright, maybe I _do_ kind of like her" he admitted awkwardly. "But, I've only seen her from a distance. I doubt I would really like her if we ever met."

"Yeah, that is true" Yugi added as soon as Yami removed his hand from his lips. "I mean, she's cute and all, so I wouldn't be surprised if you were just a bit smitten by her. I had a crush on her once too. I liked her a lot and couldn't wait to see her everyday. But, we couldn't be—she didn't like me that way. I've gotten over it and all, but I can understand how you feel. Still", Yugi remarked, "you haven't met her yet, so I don't know who you'll be when you do. Who knows—you'll probably be great friends and that'll be the end of it."

"Yeah, who know…" Yami whispered as his inner vision returned to the sweet face of the servant girl whom he didn't even know.

---

Author's Note: _Again, I sincerely apologize for not updating in more than a week—I have a lot of school projects to work on and I haven't the time. I apologize now if I don't update in a little while—time is of the essence, but we shall see what occurs. Until then, my lovely fans of this fan fiction, until then!_


	12. Fated Encounters

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _OMIGOD I haven't updated in like, FOREVER! So sorry, folks! I had spyware problems and my computer was in the shits… but no matter because I, the Angel of Nocturne, am BACK!_

_I will try to update more often, but with all the work my school's giving me for the end of the year, it might be impossible. Bear with me, my peeps, bear with me._

#2 Author's Note: _Ooh, thoughts are in italics… that's a hard concept to learn!_ (So learn it now!)

**The Prince of the Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 12: Fated Encounters….**

"So this is the library?" Yami asked.

"Yep—this is the largest library of all of Onimod, and some of the other cities around us. It has all the best references and information available" Yugi said as they entered the cathedral-sized room of books. Once again sand was the main material for the walls, giving it a rough texture, and the room was shaped so that it was a dome. The apex of the dome was open and covered with glass, almost like a skylight. Rows and columns of bookshelves were lined up all over the expanse of the library so that it nearly resembled a forest of reading material in the form of papyrus scrolls and some hard-bound books. The floor of the library was a cold slate, and chandeliers of iron and white taper candles circled the large skylight like a barrier.

It was around noon, for the sun was directly overhead, beaming through the skylight like a heavenly beam. Yugi and Yami walked through the library slowly, their gaze focused on all the reading material there was to investigate.

"I'm glad we made it here safely" Yugi commented as they zoomed through a section of science and theories.

"Yes, but I still don't enjoy playing your 'servant"" Yami added, annoyed. Yugi giggled a little, much to the prince's dislike.

"It's all I can do. I could have dressed you in a girl's outfit and said you were my entertainment for the night" Yugi shot back, only to have his comment met with his own snickers at the thought. Yami glared at him, but also couldn't help but chuckle a little despite the disturbing thoughts the joke induced. "Besides, what do you care? We never see too many people in the halls anyway, so it's not like I have to introduce you to the whole palace. By the way" he said kindly, "how do the clothes fit?"

"Fine, to say the least" Yami said. He had to change from his black and red robes as in order to not attract attention—he would have to lay low so as not to have himself mixed up with Prince Yugi, or worse yet, have them both seen at once. Instead, he now wore a plain, sandy robe like all the other servants, and on his head he wore a large shawl to keep others from noticing his resemblance to the prince's hair. "Hey, Yugi, am I allowed to remove the shawl now?"

"Um, yeah sure. No one's ever in here at this time of day anyways—I think we're safe."

"Good, because it is very itchy." Quickly and contentedly, Yami pulled the beige scarf off of his spiky head and tossed it to Yugi, who threw it over his shoulder casually.

"Do the shoes bug you?" Yugi inquired as they passed by a fictional section that seemed to house many interesting tales. Yami shook his head as they walked onward.

"No—I've never had sandals before, but these are all right." Once again, Yami had to ditch his slipper-like shoes, because in Onimod only the rich were allowed to wear such footwear—in order for his portrayal of a servant to be accurate, Yami had to resort to wearing a peasant's sandals to keep his identity a secret.

"Well, here it is. Up here." Suddenly Yugi stopped in front of one section of hard cover books that looks a little worn for wear. Yami stopped as well to see what Yugi was looking for.

"What's all this?" Yami asked.

"Our historical and folkloric section of records" Yugi explained as he trailed his finger over the spines of the books, looks over the titles hastily. "Anything about human history and what has occurred in the history of my people are here. It's the best kept collection of records anywhere." Yugi pulled out several books before exiting the section with Yami beside him, watching curiously.

The two walked over towards an empty table close the center of room, nearly under the bright glow of the skylight. Letting out a relived sigh, Yugi dumped the books on the table in a huge pile, and as the responding thud echoed through the room as the prince sat down opposite of Yami.

"Where to begin?" Yami queried, curious.

"Well, I guess I could start with the fairy tales, which should give us a small start for information." Yugi pulled a small, leather-bound book from the heap. The golden title glistened with the words "_The Ancient Legends of long Ago_". Opening up at the beginning, Yugi began to read from the book a passage he selected on the first page.

"Let's see: 'Once upon a time, nestled between the greenest forest and the tallest mountains, a small kingdom laid quiet and content in a lush valley. It was a flourishing little kingdom …however, the king and queen of the land felt not the joy of their happy subjects but the sadness and longing in their hearts. They wanted a child, a babe to call their own'. I guess that was you."

"Just continue" Yami said, feeling uncomfortable now.

"All right, all right: 'One day, while the king was taking his usual walk around the villages of his kingdom… he overheard a group of merchants in the village marketplace ranting about a magical well as if it were a sacred jewel, saying that throwing a gold coin into the well made a divine fairy appear before the coin-thrower'. Hmm… divine fairy… I think I know who they're talking about. Do you, Yami?"

"I… believe I do" Yami whispered. Yugi paused, waiting for Yami to explain further, but when he didn't the boy continued.

"Well, I also have scientific books here that have information on all historical writings." Yugi pulled another book from the pile—this one was much bigger than the last one, and the title read, "_Magic and Demons of the Centuries_". Flipping through the yellow, brittle pages, the Onimodian prince finally found a page that satisfied him and he turned the book around so that it faced Yami. "Is this her?"

Yami looked at the book to see the illustration. It was an elaborate painting, almost the way a field note of a flower or insect would look; her skin a pale snow-white, her dress a midnight black, along with equally dark locks of glossy hair. Yami instantly recognized her, but the painting failed to replicate her soul-piercing eyes—the painting could only give her green eyes, for that is all an artist could do, but as Yami stared at the image he could remember the emerald orbs that sent a shiver through his heart.

"Yes…" he swallowed nervously at the likeness of the creature he knew he loathed and feared, "yes, that is her."

"Oh, um, okay then" Yugi said as he brought the book back so that it was now facing him. He read what was written beside the picture. "Let's see, the book says that she is known by many names, but her main name is Luna of the Dark Sun. Most of the time she likes to play the good fairy of the well, granting peoples wishes, only to venomously steal the souls of whoever wishes upon her. She's actually a dark magic wish, not a fairy, although she can pull off the disguise very well. She's famous for her part in the ancient legend and the Darkness Wars, where she cursed the prince of an ancient country for his parents' forgetfulness."

"Luna of the dark Sun…" Yami said, as if connecting the image to the dreadful name he spoke balefully. He looked up at Yugi, who sat silently, waiting for yami to give him a response to the new information. "Um, what else does it say about the legend, Yugi?"

The boy flipped through the pages for a while, humming a bit as he did so, until he was once again pleased with what he found. "Well, this book does talk about the Seal of Orichalcos—"

"Seal of what?"

"Seal of Orichalcos— the ancient seal from which Luna draws her power, along with many other evil forces in the world. The Seal of Orichalcos is a symbol of the darkness and of shadows, a seal of evil and destruction. It is used by only a few people because its power is so great that those who are unworthy of its magic are instantly taken by it, having their souls stripped from their bodies. Using the Seal, people can be controlled and used for darkness by a person who uses tit that is of a higher power. You… were almost one of them" Yugi added remorsefully.

Yami thought for a moment, trying to remember if he had seen the Seal before. Then his eyes grew wide as he sucked in a gasp. "So that was what I felt on my forehead that night? The night Luna tried to—"

"Exactly. Luckily you were able to hold her off until your friend could give you the Millennium Puzzle. If he hadn't been there, you would have succumb to her power, destroying everything and anything, and I probably wouldn't be here talking to you today." Yugi gazed up from the book to see yami, his head in his hands. His face was blank and his expression seemed withdrawn and at a lack for hope. Yugi sighed.

_Oh no_… _I have to remember not to talk about that_, he reprimanded himself, before reaching across the table and placing a hand on Yami's shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry, Yami! I shouldn't have mentioned your friends… don't get upset! Please!"

Yami glanced up, his face returning to a more human expression. Yugi's voice had brought him back from feeling the despair of his situation. "It's all right, I'm not sad. I've gotten over it… somewhat. Continue, I don't want to upset you as well."

Yugi smiled, relieved. "In that case, I actually have nothing else here for today. I need to look up some more material, but in the mean time, I think we should spend the rest of the day in the gardens. I still have to show you the fish pool!" Yugi said cheerfully.

"Didn't you already show me that one?"

"No, you saw the fish _fountain_. The fish _pool_ is much bigger, and you can even swim in it!"

"Okay, that sounds like fun" Yami said as the two got up from their seats. Yugi picked up the majority of the books, even though Yami offered to help.

"No, it's alright…" Yugi said as he picked up the heavy pile, letting out a small groan as he attempted to lift all of them into his arms. The heap rose but a few inches before Yugi dropped them all in exhaustion, the thud it release echoing through the library like thunder. Yugi looked at his friend sheepishly.

"Okay, maybe a few."

"Why don't you just use your magic?" Yami asked as he grabbed about half of the bundle that Yugi was originally going to carry, as he watched Yugi take the other.

"My powers aren't strong enough for that many books—I would get a headache from over-use." Yugi pointed to the books that Yami was carrying with the free hand he had, the other gripping his new bunch of books. "Those go in the section down there. I'll put the books that belong over here back in their places."

"Okay" Yami replied as he turned to walk over to area Yugi had referred to. He had traveled down a few rows, just as Yugi had instructed, before turning onto the aisle Yugi told him to go, only to see—

"Hey Yugi!" Yami froze on the spot; Anzu was standing in the row, looking at a book on the shelf. She wheeled around to see Yami, her cerulean orbs shimmering in the sunlight that cascaded from the ceiling opening. She smiled.

"Oh, sorry! I forgot my manners! Hello, Your Majesty." She made a small courtesy before Yami. Yami's throat closed.

"I—um—a—heh—you –"

"I haven't seen you in a while, Prince Yugi" Anzu said sweetly. Her voice sounded like a soft melody to Yami, and he enjoyed hearing the words she spoke, no matter what they might be. He tried to focus; then Anzu was looking at him funny, and he felt as though he would die at that second. _What was she staring at_?

"Something… wrong?" he choked out, barely able to spit out the words. She looked at him quizzically, her eyes narrowing in thought.

"You… look different, for some reason. I can't put my finger on it…." Jut when Yami was ready to announce that he was not Yugi, her sapphire orbs lit up in realization. "Oh, it's probably the servant clothes! Yeah, that's probably it! Are you going on another adventure?"

"I…um… I—"

"That's too bad!" Anzu said as she put back the book she was carrying. "I was, um, hoping we could have a little picnic in the main garden, Sis Lereal or something this afternoon. I thought that since I haven't seen you in a while we could catch up and talk, like friends and such. But I guess not—"

"NO!" Yami suddenly blurted out, and then he nearly put his hand to his mouth in shock. Anzu's eyes darted up in surprise. "Um—what I meant was—I just threw this on, that all! I'm not leaving!"

"Oh, well then, is it okay if we have the picnic today?"

"I—um—yes—sure—why not?"

"Okay great! I'll meet you in the gardens in about an hour or so! Bye!" With that, Anzu skipped off, heading for the opposite end that Yami and Yugi were to go to leave. Yami leaned against the bookcase, and let out a sigh of relief.

"What did you do?" a voice hissed. Yami jumped with fright as Yugi ringed around the corner of the bookcase.

"I heard everything. You agreed to go?"

"Um, yes—I guess she wants to talk to you" Yami replied nervously. _Why do I feel like this is a bad idea_?

"This isn't good!" Yugi said as he started to pace, a worried tone in his voice. "I mean, I have to go to a royal council meeting in the main hall, and that will last a few hours. I can't go to that now! I'm gonna have to call it off…." The glow in Yugi's eyes suddenly came back, and Yami watched them, praying it meant nothing mischievous had occurred inside the head of his friend.

"Or…" Yugi said, his voice rising in excitement of his new idea, "you could go in my place!"

Yami's eyes grew wider then dinner plates. "What? ME?"

"Yeah, you should go! After all, Anzu thought you were me anyway, so why not go along with that and pretend to be me? This royal council thing is really important, and it's necessary that I attend, but I keep putting off time to go and see Anzu that I'm starting to feel guilty. I don't want to put it off again, especially since you already agreed to go. So, just do it!" Yugi said encouragingly.

"But I, how can I—"

"You wanted to talk to Anzu, right?"

"That's true, but I—" Yami stuttered, but Yugi was persistent.

"Well, here's your chance! You haven't had fun for five millennia, so I think it would be good for you to go and enjoy yourself. It'll be fun!"

"And I can't say that I'm not you?" Yami asked.

"No, don't!" Yugi shouted sharply, making Yami jump a little. "Sorry, what I mean is that, not for a while. For now, just say you're me, and I don't think she'll know the difference." Yugi paused to think, examining Yami up and down; Yami felt the shiver of Yugi's gaze travel up his spine, not to mention the nervousness that swirled about in his stomach from the thought of seeing Anzu again. Yugi's gaze soon returned to his companion's face. "But you can't go out like that. You'll need to look like Onimodian royalty, and I have the clothes for that."

The two princes then ran off, Heading for Yugi's room in preparation for Yami's "date" with Anzu.

---

Author's Note: _So yes, now Yami has to go out with Anzu! And Anzu thinks he's Yugi! Aah, the chaos my muse creates!_

_Speaking of chaos, there are only two more episodes left of YGO on KidsWB to be aired, and I'm already crying! Anyone else bawling their eyes out? Tell me in your review—I wanna hear about your misery, because misery loves company._

_Thanks for being patient with the update—I'll try to get the next one out ASAP!_


	13. The Beauty of Sis Lereal

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _Hey peeps! Thanks for the reviews! Wow, I have such an international crew of readers on my hands… let's see, I got US (that be me! I live in New Jersey), Europe, Australia (if I spelled it wrong in my reply, I'm sorry!), and so far that's it! But that's still cool… yeah I'm pretty clueless._

_And I have finally gotten to 100 reviews! Yes, it is true! And my lucky review for the 100th review is_... (drum roll)….

Akira_! Yes, my anonymous reviewer has won the title for 100th review! Congrats, _Akira.

_Still, thank you to all your reviews… you all rock my socks! Loves you! _

#2 Author's Note: _Ooh, thoughts are in italics… that's a hard concept to learn!_ (So learn it now!)

**The Prince of the Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 13: The Beauty of Sis Lereal**

For the first time, Yami was walking alone across the royal gardens. Looking through a window at the courtyard was a great experience, but to actually be in the gardens made Yami imagine what heaven must be like. The fragrance of the many flowers that inhabited this paradise floated about the air, creating a relaxing sensation to the already claming estate. Sound was also added to the new sense felt by the prince—birds sang a heavenly melody, and the resonance of moving water from the various fountains and pools echoed through the air like a bamboo chime in the wind. All of these things, combined with the breathtaking sight that plagued his eyes that was the royal grounds, calmed Yami's nerves a little; his heart, however, was still beating faster than a hummingbird's wings. His breath grew quick and a cool sweat formed on the back of his neck.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine!" whispered Yugi, who was standing behind the door to the secret entrance. Yami turned to glance at Yugi, who smiled and winked at him encouragingly. "Besides, now that you're all dressed up, you outta fool her anyways!"

Yami looked down at his outfit. He never wore anything like this in his own time—the robes were blue with white pieces of silk cloth overlapping his shoulders and arms. Fancy gold coins dangled from silver strings that were attached to the trim of his robe and shawl, and he wore slippers that were white with blue trim. Though it was very hot outside, or at least it should have felt hot, the prince felt cool and comfortable in the new robes. He looked at Yugi, and gave him a thumbs-up before he turned to walk towards Sis Lereal.

"Good luck!" Yami heard Yugi say, before the sound of the large stone door close hissed through the still air. Alone and nervous, Yami slowly rounded the corner, around the palace, to head towards the garden that Yugi had told him was named Sis Lereal.

"Hey Yugi!" he heard a voice call. He looked over to a huge tree with twisting limbs and thick pink flowers hanging from the branches—there underneath the shade of the giant tree, laid the one he was supposed to meet: Anzu. She sat close to the trunk of the tree, waving and smiling. A large blanket woven from long ferns and grass blades was spread out under the shady tree, and a woven picnic basket was situated in the center. Yami approached her, both eager and scared at the same time.

What was he to do? He knew nothing about Yugi's life, let alone his relationship with his friend—how was he supposed to stay to his lie?

"Um, hi, Anzu" was all he could manage to choke out. _I've never been so nervous in my life_, he thought as he sat down next to the picnic basket, on the opposite side of where Anzu sat. _Even against Luna I didn't feel fear like this. But it can't be just nervousness_…_ is it_..._ no, I am NOT falling for her. We've only just met! I can't be feeling love of any sort! _He felt like he was going to scream, so he bit his lip as he took in a deep breath.

_Just relax_…_just try to relax_….

"So" Anzu said, breaking Yami's thoughts as she grabbed the picnic basket tenderly, "do you want the Kerkan sandwich or a Tuki meatball? I've got both today!"

"I, um, well—" Yami thought back to the pep talk he had with Yugi before the date. He tried to remember in his mind what Yugi had told him… suddenly he could see Yugi in his mind's eyes, shaking his head and saying, "_Choose the meatball! Anzu's sandwiches taste like crap! The MEATBALL!_"

"Oh, well, since you can't decide I'll just give you both!" Anzu said cheerfully.

"_Damnit, now you're screwed._"

"Hey, wait, can I have the sandwich? I've got a craving for it today, for some reason." Yami sighed in relief, and in his mind he could see Yugi sighing as well, before shouting at him good-naturedly.

"_In the clear! You're so lucky! Last time I was with her I got the sandwich and SHE ate the meatball!_"

There was an awkward silence between them as they both gobbled down their own food. At first the quiet made Yami nervous, as though he had done something wrong already. What was he supposed to say? Should he say anything at all? All of this made his head throb from nervousness, but one look at Anzu's serene appearance and he felt it dissipate slightly—at least the sight of her made him feel a little less uneasy.

"So" Anzu said, as she took a bite out of the slightly soggy sandwich she chose to eat, "What's going on, Yugi? How's everything been?" Her face was darkened by the shade, but her eyes still glimmered like sapphires in the half-light.

"Nothing. Things have been going… fine" Yami replied as he nibbled a bit on the meatball. It was salty, with various spices and herbs combined in the meat—just like most of the food in Onimod, the meatball tenderly melted in his mouth, and he gladly swallowed it. He instantly took another bite.

"Fine? That's all? I thought the life of a prince would hold some more adventure" Anzu answered, her voice full of sarcasm as she looked up at Yami. He blushed a little when he realized she was watching him, but he was able to hide the burn on his cheeks with the darkness of the shade. "But, I guess that could be true, since things have been bland for me as well. Everything's so dead around here, right now. You're so lucky though… going on all those adventures. I wish I could go with you!"

"I wish that too…" Yami heard himself say, before quickly stifling a gasp at his own words. _Did I just say that_? Lucky for him it looked as though Anzu failed to hear him, caught in her own thoughts as she stared out at the garden, her eyes glittering with a desire for something beyond her reach.

"All the sights, and all the things that must be out there in the world! There must be so many, and I want to see them all! This palace is starting to reek with the same old routine!" She looked to the distance, but then realized how over zealous she appeared and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, I've just been caged up inside the palace for too long, working. It's so mind-numbing….I wish that I could see you more often. I never get to hang around with you anymore… things haven't been the same since—" she cut off her own voice, looking a bit scared to say whatever it was she was going to say, but then her eyes returned to a dreamy haze. "It used to be so fun when we were kids—we could play in the desert, here in the gardens, anywhere we wanted and anytime we wanted. Now… you have your royal duties, and I have a lot of work as a servant. Nothing's fair anymore—not like it used to be."

"I… know how you feel" Yami said without thought, though this time he didn't regret it. He remembered his childhood back in his own kingdom, before all of the business with his curse appeared. He could relate to how Anzu must have felt, with not being able to see Yugi all the time—being a friend of royalty was hard, when they were never around to ever truly be the friend they once were in youth. Yami recalled having that problem with Kaiba, but they had managed to stay true even through all of Yami's training as a prince. Of course, what good did that do him now, without a kingdom to rule or a friend to stay true to?

But he still knew what she meant. She probably missed having Yugi around to hang out with—from what Yami could gather from the small time they had encountered each other Yami could see what a kind and caring individual Yugi was to even a stranger like himself. Such a good friend was a hard thing to lose track of over the years—like Kaiba had been to him.

Thinking about Kaiba made his heart pulse with a hint of depression, but he quickly stifled it—the last thing he needed was Anzu prying at him about something that Yugi was not supposed to think about. He needed to be Yugi now, and Yugi didn't feel anything about Kaiba. He needed to remain collected.

He glanced at the brunette at his side, and he watched at how serious she looked all of a sudden. What happened to the care-free side he saw just a second ago, giving him a meatball with a smile that could out-shine the sun? Now he was curious—he wanted to know what was on her mind. Was this the true vision of the girl he had become smitten by so quickly?

"I've been pondering a lot of things lately..." Anzu said as she put her half eaten sandwich back inside the basket. "I really shouldn't… I need to stay focused if I want to have a chance to work as a servant. Day dreaming will get me nowhere fast." Yami nodded along as he gulped down what was left of his meatball.

"But, you should be able to think all you want, Anzu—what good is a mind if you don't use it?" Yami asked, more to the air then to her. She watched him.

"But, I have to make a living for me to ever have the time to think. Still that time is spent working. It's a boring cycle." Anzu flopped down onto the blanket so that she was now laying on it, her hands folded behind her head. Her hair spread out in a halo around her head, and her sapphire orbs gazed up through the pink flowers of the tree to the sky above. "And sometimes, I wonder if it's worth it all. If doing all this work and training will be worth something all in the end—I mean, you're a prince, and you'll always have something ahead of you, like riches and a place on that throne. Me, I'm just some simple servant with connections, and in the end where does that get me? What's it all worth living for?"

Yami looked up at the sky, seeing what she was seeing and trying to look through her eyes to see the world as she did. He wanted to know now—what made her this person who grabbed his attention? Finally he spoke.

"A sunset."

"A sunset?" the girl inquired.

"Yes, a sunset. Each day we see one, and each day that comes after this one we will see another. All of them are beautiful, and each one is unique and special. It's like… cool dew on a summer morning, or… the dance of a candle flame in the night. Those are the kind of things, worth living for."

Yami glanced over at Anzu, and was embarrassed to see that she was eyeing him funny.

"That was… who ARE you?" Anzu gaped.

"Wha—what do you mean?" Yami stuttered, worried that now he had gone too far—had he shone too many of his true colors? But Anzu giggled a little and gave him a warm grin.

"Wow, it must have been a LONG time since I last had a decent conversation with you, because the Yugi I remember has never been philosophical or poetic at _all. _When did you start _that_?"

"I—um—it—just—came to me?" he replied shyly, as he started to see how him being like Yugi could end up being a problem. Was there too much of a difference in them to pull this off? Anzu shrugged, her chestnut locks bouncing with her movements.

"That's… so strange, but cool at the same time. I didn't expect you to start answering with thought-provoking stuff—I mean, you're so into your games and puzzles that I figured you'd talk about that. Today you seem… different. You've changed, Prince Yugi."

"Changed?" Yami questioned, once again nervous. "N-No, not really. What about you? You seem very serious as well."

"Well… I don't know. I guess I've been doing such mindless work lately that I've been reduced to questioning life. Pathetic, right?" Her eyes met Yami's. "But still, what you just said was really something. What have youbeen reading lately? It's actually kinda creepy—so unlike you, I mean. But I like it! Um… what else do you think is… worth living for?" Yami's eyes glowed with delight.

_She likes my_..._ my words? The things I say_…_ she likes them_? His heart beat a little faster as the thoughts were processed and he soon discovered that perhaps things would work out after all.

The two talked for quite a while in the gardens—Yami tried his hardest to sound like a poetic mastermind, seeing as that seemed to please Anzu, and in turn she listened to his every word with deference. They laughed and spoke merrily as the sun traveled like a snail across the pale azure sky, with little breezes caressing them. Eventually they tired of speaking and simply lay on the woven blanket, staring through the curtain of pink flowers at the heavens above.

Yami felt the coolness of the shade and the kiss of the summer breeze upon his skin, and the sweet songs of the birds floated about like a special concert played just for them. Looking up, the pink flowers swayed in the many breezes, and if the wind was strong enough petals would float down around them in a cherry haze. Above the blanket of wood and blossoms was the canvas of azure, dappled with wisps of cotton clouds that seemed to drift aimlessly across it. The heavens appeared endless as they covered the world, and every time Yami gazed up at the endless blue he thought of Anzu's sapphire orbs. The whole garden soothed and calmed the nerves of the anxious boy, lulling him away from his fears and fretfulness, and he almost drifted into a light nap when Anzu caught his attention. She sat up, her brown locks slightly messy, and she gaze out a large yawn. Yami got up to follow suit, stretching his arms as he did so.

"This was great—hanging out with you again" Anzu said as she too stretched her arms to the sky like a cat does after a long snooze. "Spending time with you has lifted my spirits, Yugi. It's like I'm seeing another side of you. Whatever it is, I think it's a good thing."

Anzu slowly got up to her feet, her legs a bit stiff as she pulled them taunt to stand, and she picked up the picnic basket handle. Yami stood up and helped her roll the blanket up, and Anzu took that under her arm. Knowing that this was the end of their little "date", Yami glanced over to stare into Anzu's eyes, and was surprised to see that she was looking back. He blushed for what felt like the millionth time that day, and he still couldn't get over it—how could he have come to this, this feeling of nervousness and happiness combined that may only be described as--?

"So, I guess I'll see you again sometime, Yugi? We should really try to catch up on stuff more often" Anzu asked, nonchalant as she smoothed out her wrinkled robes.

"Uh, yeah, of course" Yami forced himself to say since nervousness once again constricted his vocal chords.

"Okay then! See you around, Prince Yugi!" Anzu said—with that, she turned towards the main entrance of the palace and went inside. With both relief and a hint of regret, Yami released a sigh as he watched her go.

"Good bye, Anzu" he whispered to himself, and after a few minutes of standing in the garden contemplating the feelings and thoughts that surged through him now, he headed to the secret side entrance that Yugi told him to use. Yami nearly jumped as the door suddenly hissed open before him, but smirked slightly as he saw that it was only Yugi pushing the door ajar. Yugi poked out his head to make sure the coast was clear, before sneaking out towards Yami with a child-like grin on his face.

"Well? How did it go?" Yugi asked eagerly as they both entered the tunnel and made their way down the steps of the dank underground passage. "Did it all go smoothly? You still like her, I bet!"

"Yes" Yami replied as they climbed the rope ladder up to the entrance of Yugi's closet. He became lost in his thoughts, imaging how much Anzu's eyes seemed to sparkle in both the sunlight and the shade.

"Aw, that's great! I knew you two would get along, even if she does think you're me. It's a perfect match!" The closet door was opened and they entered Yugi's sun-drenched bedroom. Yugi hopped onto his bed, acting like a hyper-active child as he grinned over at his companion; Yami simply flopped onto the couch, silently content in his thoughts and daydreams.

"Now we have to plan Date Number Two!" Yugi exclaimed as he bounced up on his over-sided bed, nearly touching the ceiling of his canopy. "I have good ideas for it too! You should take her out to the desert, or go to the rooftop of the palace at night… oh, and there's a ryuuseiu in a few days! That would make the rooftop at night the perfect spot! (A/N: Ryuuseiu means "star rain" in Japanese. It's a meteor shower). Or how about…." Yami blanked out all of Yugi's unnecessary chatter, his thoughts drifting to the next time that he would get to stare into Anzu's sapphire eyes once again.

---

Author's Note: _Yes, Yami is officially smitten by our lovely Anzu! Cheers, people, cheers!_

_School's been hell so don't expect an update too soon… start thinking around June 14th cause my summer break starts up then! Woo for summer break! _

_And in your next review, for my International knowledge please state where you come from_—_nothing specific, just a country, and if it's the US then say what state_…_ yeah, my fanficiton is international! Woo! _


	14. The Night of Ryuuseiu

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note:_ Hey, Teh Angel of Nocturne here for another update! And guess what? YGO IS ALMOST OVER FOR MEH! Yes folks, for all you Americans such as myself the series will end on Saturday, June 10… WAH, NOT MY YGO!_

_Great, now I don't have a life anymore… this sucks. I guess my soul has been completely sold to this here computer now, since I can watch the episodes again and again on YouTube… yeah my computer owns meh now._

#2 Author's Note: _Ooh, thoughts are in italics… that's a hard concept to learn!_ (So learn it now!)

**The Prince of the Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 14: The Night of Ryuuseiu….**

The sun and moon traveled a good few times across the heavens before Anzu and Yami were destined to meet again…or, at least destined in that Yugi set up the entire affair. Yami insisted that Yugi need not play such a role, but that didn't stop the young prince in his quest as an amateur matchmaker. Yami had no choice but to go along with it all… what did it matter if he got to see Anzu in end?

The night of ryuuseiu had come in nearly no time at all, and the chosen date was picked for that mystical evening. Though it was only a week's length between the two dates, Yami felt that time moved slower than a slug across snow… frozen; every moment he could breathe without Yugi hyper-actively telling him about the plans for that night he imagined how Anzu had looked in the afternoon sunlight, and how pretty she might appear in the glowing moonlight.

He didn't know what came over him—one minute he was as normal as any other teenage prince could feel after losing his kingdom and being shoved five thousand years into the future, but the next… the next he could only think about this girl, and why on earth he couldn't not remove her image from his love-sick mind.

_Wait, where did LOVE come from?_ He always pondered this in his spare time, which was all the time since Yugi had to lock him in his closet whenever the maids would appear to prepare their prince for the day. Yami would sit idly by the secret door—in case a maid were to head for the closet and see him—and listen as the servants pampered Yugi with clothing and other things. He missed that, from his old life, but not as much as he missed the sight of that girl: her soft chestnut hair, lightly tan skin, and glittering blue eyes… for some reason the thought of her made his home-sickness a little less and made him think more of her. He would shake his head in desperation.

_This is so ridicules_! he would complain in his mind as he forced away another thought about the servant girl. _What is WRONG with me! How did I end up like…like THIS! Some lovey-dovey boy who has fallen for a sweet, innocent, beautiful_… _GAH! Why can't I stop thinking like this?_

He would peer up at the ceiling, and sigh heavily. _Didn't I say something about this? About love? _Instantly he recalled his own words that he had thought to himself before he came to this predicament, just before the party:

"_Someday, I will end up falling for some dancer and end up giving up everything else for her_…. _Yeah, that'll be the day that the sky falls_!"

He released another sigh. _Well, Anzu's not a dance to my knowledge… so I guess I'm safe. Otherwise the sun would have fallen on me by now_! Realizing that his joke wasn't all that funny, he sweatdropped as he let his head hang down.

_I'm doomed_.

---

"Alright, it' almost time for the big event!" Yugi proclaimed as he gave Yami a robe. "This is what you should wear for tonight! It'll look great, trust me!" Yugi grinned at Yami with a kind smile, and Yami could not help but give one back. Yugi had been so generous to Yami by housing him, feeding him, and even getting a date for him! He was truly in this boy's debt, if anything else… but Yugi said that they were friends now, and shouldn't worry about such things as repayments.

Yami examined the robe—it was rich purple color, like a plum or violet, and it was the texture of silk like all the royal clothing was. Gold coins dangled from the robe's trim, which turned out to be a thin gold rope; the shiny trim traced around his shoulders, the collar of his robe, the ends of his baggy sleeves, and the bottom of his robe skirt. A large, circular pendant was to adorn Yami's chest, its color being gold and bearing the symbol of the Millennium Eye—it was a great choice but Yami refused to wear due to his previous pendant, the Millennium Puzzle.

It appeared that as soon as Yami removed the puzzle, he felt a strange sensation that made him feel vulnerable… to what he was defenseless to he could not say, for he didn't really know. The Millennium Puzzle was retuned to its original position without much hesitation or thought.

Lastly, a pair of purple slippers with a gold coin hanging from the curled tips of the shoes, were to fit snuggly on his lightly tanned feet.

"You like it?" Yugi asked, anxiousness in his voice for approval. Yami nodded.

"Do I have a choice?" Yami replied, slightly irritated by Yugi's over-abundance of excitement.

"Well, not really, but I just wanna know."

Yami sighed before responding in a gentler voice, "Actually yes. It's nice."

"Great! I knew you would like it! Go put it on, hurry! It's almost time, and we can't be late!" Yami gave Yugi a look that involved his left eyebrow perking up amusingly.

"'We'? What do you mean, 'we'?" he inquired. Yugi giggled for a bit.

"Well, you're technically me, so if you're late for this then I'm late too. Now get on with it, stop stalling!" Yugi commanded good-naturedly.

Yami took a few moments to change into his new outfit; he changed right in front of Yugi, but the two had become so bonded that they were almost like brothers, like kin, so they didn't mind it at all. Once Yami finished adorning himself with the robe and such, Yugi took a step back to examine the ancient prince. His eyes traced up and down, and then his gaze fell back on Yami's face—a smile and a thumbs-up instantly expressing his thoughts.

"You look great! Now don't get nervous or anything like that—it's the same stuff as last time so there's no reason to be sick."

Yami blinked, and a slight blush came to his tan face. "Who says I'm nervous?" he replied touchily, but in truth his stomach could have won the Olympics for the best gymnastic moves in history—it flopped about like a fish in the desert. "I know I'll be fine… it's just Anzu, after all."

"O-kay, keep telling yourself that and you'll feel better in no time!"

"YUGI—"

"Hey, you remember the instrument I gave you, right?" Yugi asked immediately, changing the subject as he stared into Yami's eyes as if to see a hint of deceiving nature. Yami gulped—he hated it when Yugi did that, for it felt like the boy was looking into his soul.

"Um, yes, I have it." Yami held up a flute-like instrument in his hand; it was similar to a wooden recorder, but with strange markings etched into the bell of it and around the mouthpiece. Yugi's blank expression melted to one of relief.

"Okay, that's good. Now let me see if you're up to playing it, just as we practiced" Yugi said, but again Yami gave him a look.

"I told you—I know how to play an instrument. I was trained to play music since I was six" Yami admitted, annoyed. Yugi shook his head, his black and red spikes swaying with his movements.

"That's not the point. You'll be at least a little nervous, if you like Anzu as much as I think you do—let me finish" he held a hand up so that Yami would silence his protest, "Thank you. And if that is the case then you might stumble a bit. Now come on—show me what you can do."

Reluctantly Yami nodded, and he placed the mouthpiece to his lips. He did have prior training in music, as most royalty did at a young age. He had been taught to play an instrument of similar fashion back at his kingdom, and because he was a quick learner he became very talented at it. Yugi thought it to be a good idea to express Yami's musical talent to Anzu, as it was one of his best features.

"But wouldn't that make me act more like me and less like you?" Yami had once inquired.

"Yeah, but if you like her that much you could act a little more like yourself—we'll have to admit to you not being me at some point, so you can't play the role of me forever." Yami was still against the whole idea of fooling Anzu like this, but for some reason he could not resist it—Yugi's constant planning and the mere thought of Anzu kept him from objecting too much.

But now he couldn't argue against it… now he had to be ready. He played the recorder, and a sweet, haunting melody floated about the air, swimming around the room and surrounding the two. Yami's fingers expertly played each note, care and expertise given to each flowing movement. Though Yami only played for about a minute, the sweet sound of the instrument lingered in Yugi's room, quietly fading until silence reigned supreme. Yugi clapped in excitement.

"That was perfect! I think you're ready for the big night tonight! Do you think you are?"

"I guess so" was all Yami could say. Yugi sweatdropped.

"You **guess** so? Of course you're ready! You're better than ready! You're…" Yugi paused to think, giving a cute pout as he pondered, "You're… readier than ready! It's time for Date Number Two!"

---

With that, the two princes left the quiet bedroom and quickly ran up various staircases that headed for the rooftop. They had to move swiftly if they didn't want to be seen together. Both of them worked hard on planning the event out, as both were eager to keep this facade going. Yugi, the obvious matchmaker, send Anzu a note written by Yami to her servant quarters in the palace. It wasn't a lengthy note, but it read out true all the same. The yellow parchment read:

Anzu,

You said you wanted to see me again, so why not make that a reality? Tonight on the palace rooftop would be great, unless you wish for another night for us to meet. If so, please send a note responding to this one to confirm any changes. If not, then wait for me on the rooftop after nightfall, because the ryuuseiu will start then and I want to see it with my best friend.

Yours Truly,

Prince Yugi

Anzu didn't give back any sort of reply, so it appeared that everything would go as planned. Yugi, who picked the clothes and the night, refreshed Yami on how to play the recorder so that he could impress Anzu with his talents.

"Anzu loves music" Yugi had said, "so this will be perfect. I'm pretty good myself, but I was never as good as you are—just say you've been practicing and you should do fine."

Also, Yugi had commanded that the rooftop be reserved in his name for the evening—a way to ensure that no one disturbed Yami and Anzu on their night out. Yugi would hide out for a while, so as to not have anyone who knew about the rooftop date see him and question what was going on. Neither of them could plan how the night would turn out, so despite their excessive precautions and preparation fate alone would be what determined the end result.

After charging up a particularly long flight of stairs, Yami and Yugi finally made it to the top of the royal palace. An opening stood in front of them, leading the stairs up to the rooftop, and both stopped before they could accidentally alert Anzu of their arrival. Yami's nervous energy was released in the fast climb, but Yugi was simply tired and worn. He was panting slightly from the rush, and after he was given a nod by Yami, hung back as the other boy headed up the last few stairs to the top.

_Here I go_. Yami took a deep breath in, a step forward, and he emerged from the stairwell so that his head poked up outside.

It was a magical night; as always paper lanterns were strung across thin ropes in the gardens below, and from the high rooftop the lights glittered like fireflies on a midsummer night. The view from the roof was far more spectacular than from Yugi's bedroom window; all the many candles and lanterns shimmered brightly in front of the palace like a flashlight shining on a new vein in a diamond mine. In the far distance the large mountains and canyons towered over the desert, and Yami thought that he saw Sen Real standing amongst the mountain tops, though once he blinked it was gone. The city lights, paper lanterns, and magnificent mountains were all quite magnificent to see, however the one thing that outshined them all was the midnight sky. The glittering canvas above was a dark royal blue; like a navy-blue blanket that had several holes pierced in it, the stars sparkled and twinkled in response to one another. Some were bright and sparkled like diamonds, while others simply dotted the heavens with a faint glow. The milky-white moon, shaped in its crescent form, softened the sky with its halo light while the small wispy clouds floated on by it.

Yami soaked up the wonders of the night as he climbed out of the opening and onto the sandy top of the palace. A warm breeze touched his face and fluffed his hair, and the scent of the balmy night filled his lungs with a feeling of calm. Looking a little to the right, Yami could see Anzu sitting on a blanket—she was leaning against the glass dome of the skylight that shined over the library below, her gaze turned towards the view of the city. The blanket wasn't the grass-woven one of last week's date but instead a cloth blanket covered with stripes of color. She was dressed in a simple blue dress, not nearly as adorned as Yami's outfit, but it was still pretty nice considering her position as a servant. The breeze swept her hair back in a flowing wave, and she appeared to be enjoying herself as she watched the sleepy city below. Yami smiled as he approached Anzu, who heard his soft footfalls and wheeled around to see him.

"I see you got here alright" Yami said as he sat down next to Anzu on the soft blanket. "No trouble getting here?"

"No. Things have been really quiet tonight, actually" Anzu replied as she gazed at Yami. He stared right back. "So, how's the week been, Prince Yugi?"

"Pretty good, I guess" Yami said, not exactly sure how he should respond. How was his week, when most of the time all he did was think about Anzu? Perhaps pretty good was an understatement indeed. Anzu nodded.

"That's good… but thanks for arranging this! I've been dying to see you all week!" Yami blushed a rose red at that last statement, but fortunately Anzu failed to see it. "Our last get-together was so nice—I couldn't wait for the next chance we could talk like that again. I've been so bored that this is my only time to have fun and hang out with my best friend." Yami looked down at the ground, feeling his heart thump a bit. _Best friend_? he thought to himself as he watched Anzu smile so warmly that he nearly allowed her to see him blush. _That's how it's always going to be… but as long as I get to see you, I guess it shouldn't matter… should it?_

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he barely noticed it when Anzu tapped him on the shoulder—his body jerked in surprise as she gave him another nudge. "Hey Yugi, what's that? Under your sleeve?" Yami looked down to see that she was referring to the recorder, and he pulled it out, showing it off in the tender moonlight.

"Oh this?" he asked. Anzu's eyes lit up a bit in the darkness.

"A recorder! Those make such beautiful music! Have you been practicing, my Prince?" she asked, a little playfully—it was so teasing that Yami shifted uncomfortably as he tired to remain as Yugi-like as possible.

"Um, yeah, I can, um, play it…" he responded sheepishly.

"That's so awesome, Yugi, I would _never_ expect that of you! No offense, Prince, but you don't seem like the musical type to me."

"No offense taken" Yami said, but in his mind he secretly replied, _Why would I ever be offended by you?_ He almost said that, but he knew that would make it seem like Yugi had feelings for Anzu.

_**Does** Yugi have feelings for her?_ he pondered to himself—he had never really thought to ask him about it before now. From how close Anzu and Yugi appeared to be, and how attractive Anzu was, perhaps Yugi did feel something like this for Anzu just as he did… but if that were the case then why was he helping Yami out with his dating? Then Yami recalled something Yugi had said to him when he first saw Anzu:

"_I had a crush on her once too. I liked her a lot and couldn't wait to see her everyday. But, we couldn't be—she didn't like me that way."_

_Hmm…so, Yugi HAD feelings for her… but does he still harbor them now? Anzu's the one how turned him down, after all…. _

"Hello? Yugi, you there?" Anzu said, waving her hand in front of Yami's face. Quickly he snapped out of his thoughtful daze.

"Oh, what?" he asked shyly, embarrassed that he had zoned out the way he did. Anzu just shook her head.

"I was asking you if you could play something for me… um, is there something wrong?" Anzu got close to his face and looked at him closely, and though Yami enjoyed the nearness he still held his breath as he waited for her to move back. She then placed a hand to his forehead for a second, and when she pulled it away he longed for the cool touch of her hand upon his skin again. "You feel a bit hot… maybe a fever?"

Yami inwardly kicked himself for blushing so much. "N-no, Anzu, I'm okay… maybe I'm just a little warm, that's all." She backed off a bit from him, and he sighed.

"Oh, okay, if that's all…" she replied, before adding with, "So, can you still play for me? Only if you'd like to though—I don't want to push it on you, my Prince." Her soft sapphire eyes stared deep into Yami's with a hint of concern and curiosity to the point that Yami felt he couldn't really say no… he mentally kicked himself again. _What's happening to me? Why do I feel so…so…._

"Of course I can!" he announced proudly, and inside himself he sweatdropped. _I've lost it now_…. Yami brought the recorder to his lips and blew into it; unfortunately for him, a squeak came out instead of the desired musical note. Yami's eyes widened a bit in surprise as he stopped playing, full of embarrassment at his failure. He waited for Anzu to reply when he heard a giggle escape from her.

"Wow Yugi, I couldn't have played it better myself!" Anzu laughed, but then bowed her head obediently. "Sorry for chastising you, Prince Yugi, but that was a necessary comment for a necessary musical note…." She then started to giggle again, and at that point Yami felt crawling in a hole and dying. The feeling must have been expressed on his face, because Anzu ceased her giggles and put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I was just kidding! I'm not trying to be mean or anything, Yugi—try again, and maybe this time you'll get it."

Though he was extremely nervous about screwing up again, Yami simply could not refuse her encouragement; he took the recorder to his lips again and began to play.

The second time was apparently the charm, because the sweet, flowing notes of the instrument floated out of the bell and overtook the air. All other sounds seemed to diminish as Yami played, his fingers elegantly moving across the instrument. He watched as Anzu held her breath and listened to the music play, her ears entranced by the beautiful noise surrounding them as if they were deaf to all the world save the recorder's singing voice. After moments of his talented playing, the sweet sounds seemed to move Anzu in such a way that she rose to her sandaled-feet and suddenly started dancing. Her arms sailed through the air like butterfly wings, and her legs moved in elegant step to the music.

Yami watched, awestruck by the sight of her dancing in the glow of the crescent moon—he almost stopped playing to watch but common sense reminded him to deter from that option. He continued to play, though his fingers were now on auto-pilot as his eyes followed the magnificent servant that his music guided and moved. The event seemed to last for an eternity as Yami played and Anzu danced under the sweet moonlight, when it was only a few mere minutes. When yami finally ran out of breath, he ceased his playing and took a deep inhale. Anzu stopped, as if frozen by the silence, and then turned around to smile at Yami.

"Ah, that was amazing!" she exclaimed as she plopped herself right back to where she sat before. Both were a bit out of breath from the recent excitement. "The most fun I've had in a while! Thanks, Yugi."

"Oh, um, your welcome" Yami responded humbly as he swallowed to catch his breath from playing so long without a rest. Anzu gazed kindly upon him, and then her eyes lit up with sudden realization.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" she said excitedly. "I got a job as a dancer at the BaliZar… you know, that nightclub place downtown? Now I work there—I dance and get paid! I've been practicing a lot for it… you noticed that I'm better now, right?"

Yami, despite his absent knowledge of Anzu's dance history, could only find one answer to fit her question. "I've noticed—you've become a great dancer, Anzu."

"Well, I'm not that great, but thank you Yugi!" Anzu ran her fingers through her chestnut hair, and turned her head towards the sky.

"There's supposed to be a ryuuseiu tonight" she said. "Do you think we'll see a shooting star?"

"Maybe" answered Yami, who now looked to the heavens as well. "Say, if we do see a shooting star, what will you wish for?"

"Me?" Anzu asked, and then she sheepishly turned away. "I guess it would be for us to be friends forever." Anzu turned back to see Yami's response, only to see him as both shocked and happy.

"You… you want us to be friends **forever**?" Yami was about to jump up and down for a victory dance, but thought better of it as he remembered that she still considered him to be Yugi and that might be what she wants for Yugi and herself. Instead he just smiled inwardly to himself about it.

"Yeah, I guess I do" she said quietly. "I mean, until last week, I felt like we were drifting apart, losing our connection to each other. After all that's happened I thought we were just going to go our separate ways, with you as prince and me as a servant girl. But with these last two times that we've hung out together makes me feel like… like nothing's changed between us. I know right now things couldn't be better, but I don't know how long this could last until we do end up on our own paths. That's why I wanted to make that wish—to secure our bond." Anzu paused her explanation for a second before returning with a huge grin, as if nothing sad had been mentioned at all. "So, what are you going to wish for, Yugi?"

"My wish?" Yami hadn't thought about his own wish just yet—he knew for certain that he could wish for his own private "desires", if he could really call them that, but to tell Anzu what those thoughts were was simply out of the question. He took a few moments to think of something good. "I wish for… um, this moment here to never end."

"I like that wish" Anzu admitted as she adjusted herself to sit more comfortably on the blanket. "It's only been about a few minutes, and I already feel like we've been talking for hours. We haven't been hanging out as much as we used to, so every precious moment counts as something now. I'm loving this already, and if it were to last forever, maybe I'd love it even more—before I got sick of it."

The two of them fell silent then, as they stared up at the sky for several moments watching the stars twinkle in unison. Yami felt his hand instinctively try to touch her own, or to wrap his arm around her shoulder—things he never felt the urge to do in his life but now felt the strange urging to do so—but he knew what would happen: Anzu would think that Yugi still had feelings for her, and whether that was true or not he could not risk the outcome.

_After all_, he thought as he restricted his right hand with his left hand gently so as not to let Anzu see, _I'm supposed to be Yugi, and if Anzu doesn't like Yugi that way then I have to keep my own thoughts from her_. _And we're just friends… just friends…._

"Yugi, look, look!" Anzu hissed elatedly as she pointed to the sky above. "The ryuuseiu! It's starting!" Yami raised his gaze to where Anzu directed—it was very faint, but he could see a small star swim across the sky. Another came, and then another, followed by a dozen. Soon stars were falling all over the heavens, creating a spectacular light show in the night sky.

"Make your wish, Yugi!" she whispered, awestruck by the lights. The Yami realized something.

"Hey Anzu! Isn't it true that if you tell someone your wish, then it won't come true?" The servant girl glanced at him and then shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh yeah, that's right…" Anzu said sadly. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wish for something else then, won't we?" With that, Anzu closed her eyes and mouthed a wish to the sky. Yami, who was watching the shooting stars, picked the brightest one and quickly whispered a wish off the top of his head.

"I wish that Anzu and I will stay friends forever." The star he wished upon sped through the heavens, and in a sudden burst, the little star sparkled in the sky before fading away into the midnight blue. Yami smiled as the star vanished into the dark abyss that was the night.

"Make your wish yet?" Anzu asked as she opened her eyes and looked at Yami. He nodded. "Good! Now we can enjoy the stars."

The ryuuseiu lasted deep into the night. In an on slaughter of fiery stars, the meteor shower flooded the sky with the celestial dance of the heavenly lights. The moon gracefully moved across the star-speckled space, glowing a sweet milky white; Anzu and Yami laid back on the blanket, lying on their backs as they stared up at the shimmering sky. Yami felt the warmth of Anzu's body grace his right arm, and a tingly sensation ignited his senses as his eyes glanced down at his right side. Anzu's arm laid so close to his own that he felt his heart race slightly.

_So close… should I hold her hand?_ He pondered that thought as he attempted to still his quivering right arm. _I can't, I know I can't. But still, it wouldn't hurt… she'd find out…but maybe for just a second… NO, I've made up my mind, and I will just have to wait!_ He stared at his fidgeting right hand with a stern gaze, and the hand fell limp for the rest of the evening.

Despite it being late a night, the air was still slightly balmy and pleasant. A soft breeze whistled through the still night, and it ruffled Yami's hair ever so lightly as he started to relax… he began to drift off into a light nap as the image of shooting stars faded from his eyes—

"Hey Yugi" Anzu whispered. Her voice also filled with the heaviness of sleep. "Um… Joey asked me… if you could come out and wind surf tomorrow out by the canyons…. What do you say?"

"Hm…?" Yami asked, his mind barely stirring now that it began to fog over with drowsiness. "Jo…ey?"

"Yeah he says… that he hasn't seen you… in a while. He really wanted you to go—" Anzu paused for a moment as she let out a lion-like yawn. "Think… you can?"

"I guess so…" Yami whispered as he too responded with a gigantic yawn of his own.

"Okay… I'll let him know… tomorrow…." With that Anzu seemed to daze off, mumbling a bit as her half-lidded eyes watched the stars still in travel across the blackened heavens. Yami couldn't help but feel the same way—with stars dancing in his hazy vision he finally let go of his nervousness and relaxed as he too drifted into a dream-like haze.

---

Author's Note: _Hey, wasn't that just the cutest? I loved typing it out! But this is going to have to end at some point, right? Yeah, we'll wait for it when it gets here._

_Thanks for all your awesome reviews, guys! I am so beloved by all of you—you rock so much! And for all of you fellow Americans or other people who have YGO ending this Saturday (that be tomorrow from this updating day), please remember that when you are watching it, just know that your fellow authoress is mourning along with you! Okay?_

_Cry with me, peeps!_


	15. The Raven

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note:_ I am sorry for not updating like I used to… I am very busy. Tennis, and the fact that I have to wait for my mom to leave the house for meh to type DOES tend to keep me from updating a lot… so be grateful for any updates at all! Don't take this chappie for granted, gotcha? You might not see another for a good week or more… so there._

_Sorry, I just have a lot of writing projects to do. I might even get to write the sequel to Do You Dream Of Me? by Laryna6… this is so sweet! And maybe I'll enter one of the writing contests I've seen on a Forum... yeah, I'm a busy little authoress!_

_So cookies and glomps to all, for stickin' with me! You all DERSERVE it! _

#2 Author's Note: _Ooh, thoughts are in italics… that's a hard concept to learn!_ (So learn it now!)

**The Prince of the Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 15: The Raven...**

Yami awoke to the warm feeling of sunlight burning on his skin—it was dawn, and the golden sphere that was the sun glowed like all the shooting stars from the pervious night combined. Yami was nearly blinded by the heavenly light when he first attempted to open his eyes, as he squinted them shut immediately after. Finally he managed to half open his eyes as he used his hand to shield away the sun's harshest rays.

Still in a haze from his deep sleep, Yami didn't think of much as he stared up at the pale blue sky of early dawn, only that it looked just as pristine as Anzu's eyes when they really sparkled—

_Anzu_! His memory suddenly returned to him as he brought himself to being fully alert; he had been with Anzu all of last night, watching the stars and talking, and then he couldn't recall anything after… had he fallen asleep? Yami glanced at his right side to see the servant girl sprawled out on the blanket next to him, still lost in a deep slumber. His wide eyes watched her form as her chest rose up and down steadily with her breathing, and he was almost overjoyed with the smile of content on her lightly tanned face. Her hair in a chestnut halo around her head, she appeared peaceful and at ease, as if nothing could rouse her and yet anything could at the same time—both a delicate being and one held high from the world's attempts to wake her up.

Yami finally couldn't help himself; gently, so as not to awaken her, his hand crept towards her angelic face, his finger softly tracing her skin as he moved away a stray strand of her hair from her face. To his surprise she stirred, causing him to hold his breath tentatively, but then she returned to her state of relaxation. Yami sighed in relief before taking his hand a good distance from her face.

"Good morning, Anzu" he whispered so silently that no soul could possibly hear him speak, yet even so Anzu seemed to respond by the small upward tug on the corners of her mouth. Yami knew that she was simply asleep, but somehow he felt like perhaps she could hear him, so as to reply with a smile. "And goodbye."

Quietly and quickly, Yami pulled a folded note of yellow parchment out from his robe pocket and opened it—despite his attempts at remaining unheard, the paper crinkled lightly as he glared at it for making such a loud noise so inconveniently. It was a letter he had written in case he woke up before Anzu so that she would have a goodbye from him, or rather "Yugi". It read, in a simple fashion:

Dear Anzu,

Last night had been fun… we need to do this again another time. I hope you had as good a time as I did, so that we can keep having our little moments. I apologize for having to leave early, but as the prince of Onimod I'm sure you know of all my duties. I hope you understand. Until we next meet!

Yours Truly,

Prince Yugi

P.S. Here is a little something for you. I hope you accept it as an apology gift.

As Yami placed the note where he once laid, he lightly walked back over to the staircase, and his eyes searched for something. _Yugi told me right near the stairs_… he thought as he looked around, until finally his amethyst eyes fell on something hidden in a crack on the side of the stairwell. _That's it_.

It was a rose that Yugi said he would put by the stairs for Yami to give to Anzu—Yami cautiously approached Anzu again and gently placed the long-stemmed rose on the parchment. Yami agreed now with Yugi that it was indeed a nice rose; its petals yellow, it was a single flower with a long stem devoid of thorns but full of large leaves. Its petals softly touched Yami's flesh like the way Anzu's skin had done last night when their arms met, and the rose was nearly in full bloom. He looked at the rose for quite some time, before he retrieved his recorder and crept down the stairs.

Though Yugi had told him to leave as soon as possible—not for safety concerns but because Yugi couldn't wait for all the juicy details—Yami couldn't help but take one last looks at the servant, even if it was just to watch her breathe. The sunlight beamed down upon her silken face, and Yami only wished that he could stay just a little longer, just to catch a look at her sparkling azure eyes… but as instructed by Yugi, he left after that moment had past.

The climb down the stairs was quiet and uneventful, but Yami's solitude was soon interrupted by a familiar yell. It took less than a second for Yami to realize who the excited yell seemed to originate from, as he heard footsteps bounding cheerfully up his way. A few moments later he saw Yugi come up to him, out of breath from the ascending climb but nonetheless full of unused energy to spare. Yami wasn't even surprised as he cocked an eyebrow while Yugi tried to ask him a multitude of question, even though he was too out of breath to say anything at the moment.

"Hey Yami! What happened? Did you have a good time? Anzu still asleep? How'd the recorder do? You stay up really late? Did you—" Yami clasped his hand over Yugi's chattering mouth.

"In order: Nothing, yes, yes, it went fine, yes, and whatever you were about to say but I cut you off, no comment." Yami promptly removed his hand from Yugi's face and wiped it on his robe.

"So… what _happened_?" Yugi looked almost ready to squeal with excitement, like a kitten just getting the first bowl of milk. Yami sighed good-naturedly.

"Well, I played the recorder, and she started dancing—"

"Oh, she danced for you! Yeah, Anzu's really good at dancing, 'cause she wants to become a professional. Point for Yami though! What's next?"

Yami paused to think. "Um, we saw the ryuuseiu, and we both made a wish—"

"Aww! What did you wish for?"

"I can't tell anyone, remember? You're not supposed to tell people what you wished for, or else it won't come true" Yami argued, surprised at how much he sounded like a fortune cookie. Yugi, instead of becoming discouraged or quieter, started to jump carefully on the stairs so as not to fall and tumble down to the bottom.

"Ooh! It must be something really lovey-dovey then, if you won't tell!" he said in an anxious whisper. "Anything else?"

Yami shrugged. "That's really everything, I guess." Still Yugi continued to grill him for information.

"Did you leave the rose and the note?"

"Yes" Yami sighed, getting irritated by how overly eager Yugi was to know everything. "Yes, just as you said to. And if your screaming hasn't done so already, then she'll wake up and find it." Yami remembered how uncertain he had been about the rose, thinking that perhaps it was too romantic a gesture for a supposed "friend" to make. However, Yugi reassured him that because the rose had been the color yellow—which was the color for friendship—that it wouldn't strike Anzu as anything beyond what close friends would do. Still, Yami was never so sure… his thoughts drifted back as he looked at Yugi, who was now smiling at him sort of shyly and mischievously. That never meant anything good.

"So, um… did you guys…um… **do** anything?" When Yami looked at him confused he explained further, slightly blushing and stuttering. "You know… um… **do**… anything?" Finally the message clicked, but the response was far from the chuckling and light pink blushes that Yugi was trying to hide. Yami's face turned a dark shade of red as his eyes got wide.

"YUGI!" he exclaimed, his voice hissing just above a whisper. "NO! What do you think me to be? I would never take advantage of Anzu like that! I'm acting as you, and YOU would never do something like that!" Yami's face began to cool down to a normal flush, but his heart was still racing from the mere thought of such a thing. Yugi grew quiet towards Yami's embarrassed rage, but then began to nervously giggle.

"No, of course not, but I thought it would be funny to get a kick out of you with it" Yugi said, with Yami still feeling the burn of his blush upon his tan cheeks. Then Yugi became very serious and thoughtful, as if a switch had been turned on inside him; Yami watched him out of curiosity.

"What is the matter?" the ancient prince asked, worried.

Yugi sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "You know what I just realized?" Yami shrugged in response. "We have become so close, you and I… I mean, it's only been a week, and I feel as if I've known you forever. Like a brother or a close friend." His eyes became downcast as he spoke. "I don't know why I feel so close to you, but it seems… almost natural." He looked up at Yami expectedly. "Do you… feel the same way?"

Yami, despite how strange this conversation seemed, couldn't help but feel a sense of agreement to what Yugi just admitted to. They barely spend any time together—Yugi having his princely duties, so Yami was left to his own devices most of the day—but when they were together, there was an unexplained sense of knowing, like they could sense each others' spirits as well as their thoughts and feelings. Recently they've had times where they completed each others' thoughts or sentences—they would laugh about it, calling it coincidence, but now Yami almost felt that they were somehow deeply connected in spirit. It wasn't just the fact that they looked the same, was it?

He shook himself out of his thoughts as he gazed down at Yugi. "Yes, I've felt that as well. Under normal circumstances, we would still be acquaintances, and we would never talk about things the way we do now." Yami smiled for some reason. "Do you suppose we have some sort of spiritual binding? Or perhaps we're related?" He was in the future now—maybe they were distant relatives.

"I wouldn't say that we couldn't be related" Yugi said thoughtfully, "But I think I know what has kept us so bonded all this time." He held the Millennium Puzzle protectively in his hands as he spoke, staring at the glittering gold pyramid with interest. "It's the puzzle."

Yami blinked owlishly. "The puzzle?" Yami took a moment to register the thought, but came back empty-handed. "This talisman? How is it able to bind us together? It is merely an object."

"Not just any object. Within the legends it stated that only the chosen one could unlock the secret of the puzzle, and one person alone. I'm almost certain that because it was destined to be me and the power of the puzzle is so great that, in solving the puzzle I created a connection between out souls. Two souls that were to meet someday and intersect each others' destinies… it makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Maybe" Yami replied. "It is possible, I suppose. And that would explain why I also have the Millennium Puzzle." Yami looked down at his own shimmering pendant, along with its identical original.

"I read about that too, while I was waiting for you to get back from your 'date'" Yugi answered, the last part making Yami squirm a bit. "It was said that when the chosen one wears the Millennium Puzzle, an illusion of the real one will appear around the prince's neck as well. If you take yours off, mine will still be there, no problem. But if I remove mine, yours will—"

A small black shape suddenly sped past the carved out window in the tower that Yami and Yugi were in, startling the two princes. As it flew on towards the desert, Yami could see that it resembled a raven similar to the ones in his time. He curiously wondered whether or not to ask if ravens were native in Onimod, but then decided against it as he watched it fly away.

"So, what were you saying again, Yugi?" Yami asked. He was surprised to see Yugi still staring out the window at the raven, his eyes vacant and blank—he seemed almost dead in his glazed stare. In a robotic voice he turned to Yami and replied, "_Nothing will happen. Everything is fine_."

_Yugi_? He thought, looking at how oddly the boy watched him and how his eyes were so dead and empty. However, after a moment color returned to Yugi's oddly pale face and life returned to his eyes. He smiled as if nothing had happened.

"Well, I guess we should head down for breakfast! I'm starving!" Yugi cheerfully turned around and hurried down the stairs. Yami, though slightly bewildered, shrugged off the recent affair and started to follow, only to have his gaze return to the window to see the bird. It was a pathetic dot above the horizon as it flew away, disappearing into nothing.

---

The desert surrounding Onimod stretches out for miles, like an endless sea of golden water that shifts with the wind and sprays dry foam into the cloudless blue sky. The wind carelessly tosses the sand about, throwing it against the mountainous boundaries as the pile slowly grows up the mountains' side. Beyond the mountains lay more canyon-like terrain, all dusted with the same destructive sand that erodes the rock away into nothing. Snow no longer caps the once majestic beauties, and in this prevailing time only sand rules the endless horizon.

In the barren world that is this place, a small black form soared through the dry, corrosive air towards one of the tallest mountains in the range. It glided on warm air currents, onto a rocky cliff as it plucked at its feathers tenderly, and then approached a carefully concealed opening in the mountain. Large boulders blocked the entranceway, but there was a small spot left unguarded by the rocks. Cautiously, the bird wobbled through the dark opening, and instantly plunged itself into flight through the shadows. A normal bird would have lost its sight and probably hit the many twisting and turning walls within this hidden cavern, but the bird seemed to know its way, as if it were able to see past the darkness and navigate through the dangerous tunnel.

The raven flew like this for a few minutes, before arriving in a large, underground cavern within the center of the mountain, miles under the earth. Instead of the blackness of the previous tunnel, the cavern was alit with an unholy green light that enveloped the room, and a few shimmering stalagmites decorating the floor of the place. The raven landed atop of an earthy platform in the center of the room that looked like a large stalagmite that had its pointy top shaved off, and upon it besides the bird was a large metal cauldron.

Though out of place in the rocky cavern, the cauldron appeared to have been there for quite some time; the living ground beneath it was completely attached to the base of the cauldron. Filled with a black substance, a dark liquid that could have been water, the giant pot reflected the stone ceiling and stalactites above like an obsidian mirror would. Not a ripple shivered, nor a drop descended upon the still liquid, giving it the appearance of a glass mirror or very sleek ice.

The bird landed beside the cauldron, standing very still for a moment, before suddenly collapsing in on itself as though its body completely crumpled like a piece of paper. The black feathers melted into shadows, and this mass of darkness twisted and convoluted as the surrounding shadows gave it power and more mass. It became a human-sized blob of shadows now, rippling and stretching about as it took a human-like shape. Slowly the form solidified, and the darkness spread away as the woman took on her details.

The green light on the cavern glowed over her pale-skinned face, shimmering against her long, glossy black hair. Her gothic dress slithered around her like an obedient snake follows its charmer, and the material that made it appeared to float about like mere shadows. Beyond the snow that was her skin, and the darkness of her hair, the only color that appeared upon her face was the piercing emerald that lit up her demonic eyes—they eyed the cauldron with a sense of satisfaction as she sort of floated towards it elegantly.

She chuckled to the darkness softly. "I have found him" she whispered, the sound of her voice echoing through the empty room for a second before fading into the soundless walls. Suddenly her eyes were glowing with a green fire, as though she was possessed by something far more sinister than herself, and as she did so the liquid in the cauldron radiated the same unholy light in unison. A humming noise filled the stale air of the cavern, and an image began to form on the reflective surface of the water. Like a photo or a television screen, the cauldron showed an illustration of Yami looking out the window of a tower. The woman's eyes stopped glowing, and as she gazed upon the image she licked her lips in predatory delight.

"Yes… there he is" she happily hissed as she watched the moving screen. Yami and the Onimodian prince jumped at the sudden presence of the raven—who was actually Luna of the Dark Sun—and as Yami looked away in relief, Yugi continued to stare at the raven, his eyes suddenly overtaken by a mystical green light. The green light faded into vacant amethyst the Onimodian prince turned to reply to Yami's question, which was silent from what Luna could hear at her position—Prince Yugi ran down the stairs in the tower, and Yami took a last glance at the spying bird. The image froze in that moment, and Luna smirked in satisfaction.

"Silly little Onimodian prince, trying to tell Prince Yami all the secrets that he should not know" she said mysteriously, and she smiled even more maliciously. "I am glad that I wiped your memory of that information, little prince—it would have interfered if you knew too much anyways. Now you cannot tell Prince Yami of the dangers that await him—I will make sure of that as I commence with my plans."

She gazed at the frozen image of the ancient prince once more, and then passed a pale hand over the still waters of the cauldron as she cackled merrily. Her hand swept past Yami's face, revealing the Seal of Orichalcos glowing on his forehead and red eyes replacing his purple orbs. "Hahaha, just wait, my son of darkness! Your true destiny will soon be upon us!"

---

Author's Note: _Yeah, update! Man, I'm so happy! At least I got that done! I'll try to update more, but in the mean time, don't expect another for a bit. I still have to catch up to the rest of my projects! See ya then!_


	16. Good Morning Surprises

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never did and never will. Though I love it so much that I maybe I should… ah, forget it, you get the point. It all belongs to that brilliant genius, Kazuki Takahashi.

Author's Note: _And I finally make an update! Sorry for the wait, my wonderful readers and/or reviewers (I say them separately because some of you readers do not review! Ahem!) but I have been busy… with my other fan fictions. But I have forced myself to get this chapter out because I have been meaning to for the last few days._

_So here, my loves. Enjoy my gift of pardon. _

#2 Author's Note: _Ooh, thoughts are in italics… that's a hard concept to learn!_ (So learn it now!)

**The Prince of the Orichalcos**

**By: Angel's Nocturne**

**Chapter 16: Good Morning Surprises….**

Though mornings in the Onimodian palace were quite busy and full of hectic life, Yami and Yugi managed to sneak back into Yugi's room without running into any royals or servants. Many a times they had to duck into the shadows when they heard the muffled echoes of voices and footsteps down the halls, but no one ever came close to discovering them. Quickly and quietly the two scurried into the bedroom, sealed the large door shut, and prepared to enjoy the mouth-watering breakfast that the Onimodian prince once again slipped out with from the kitchens.

"What's on today's menu, Yugi?" Yami asked as he sat down on his make-shift couch bed. Yugi removed the large silver tray from one of his bedroom nightstands and paced it on the coffee table before Yami.

"The usual. I was almost caught by the head chef this morning while I was taking some of the fruit, though." The smaller teen sat down beside Yami, and picked up a piece of fruit that resembled a banana and took a bite. He looked to his companion and gestured to the food. "Dig in! You want the paupau fruit?"

"As always" Yami said smartly, as he took one of the small star-shaped fruits and bit into it, devouring its flesh hungrily. Some of the green juice ran down his chin, but he licked it off with his tongue and smirked.

Yugi shrugged to Yami's response as he took a bite of the banana-like fruit. "As always" he mused. "You're so easy to predict, Yami."

"I guess I am" Yami replied as he took another juicy bite of the paupau fruit. This time the juice almost ran all the way off his chin, but his fingers intervened; he licked each one with care in consuming the delicious nectar. He noticed Yugi smiling at him, entertained—the youth giggled slightly.

"You act just like a cat, Yami."

Yami looked up, not understanding at first. "Hmm? A cat? Why?"

"Because, you're licking yourself."

Yami looked at the teen critically. "Is that all?"

Yugi looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, I guess so… never mind, it was a bad attempt at a joke."

Yami chuckled—Yugi could be so random sometimes. Though he had to thank him, for setting him up with Anzu. Without him his meetings would never happen, even if he was under the guise of the Onimodian heir. _That reminds me_….

"Yugi?" Yami asked tentatively. The prince gazed up from his current victim—a bread stick—to look at the older one with innocent amethyst eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I remember… you said something about how you once had a crush on Anzu." Do you… still have feelings for her?" Yami wasn't sure if he should be asking such questions to the prince—actually he wasn't sure why he asked at all. Yugi might get hurt by reminiscing of loves forgotten, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him and now he hoped he wouldn't regret his decision to ask.

Yugi gazed at him, surprised at first, but then he looked down at his food with his eyes glazed over. He sighed heavily, as if the weight of such memories now burdened his heart again.

"Yes and no, I guess. I mean, I did have a crush on her—how could I not, she's so nice, and pretty, and talented…." He looked off, his eyes distant as he smiled at the memory. "She was this perfect girl, and she was my friend. We were so close… we knew each other's thoughts and feelings sometimes, and we always hung out. One time I even decided to ask her to be my girlfriend… but that's not the way things work around here.

"I'm a prince, I'm royalty… she's just a servant girl to the royal family. For us to be together… it would ruin the royal line, and I know the rest of the royal court would have none of it. But I asked anyways, but because I was naïve and I didn't care. I hoped that she would agree with me… maybe we would run away and go live somewhere on our own, together….

"But she was smarter than me, and she knew what the consequences would be if we were caught. I don't know if she liked me the way I liked her, but that didn't matter—she knew that her family would be forever scorned, and if we did manage to run away, that their would be no heir to the throne.

"When I asked her, she turned me down, telling me that she wasn't ready for a relationship like that. She said we weren't like that, that we were better as friends….

"Maybe we were, but that doesn't change the fact that I still like her… maybe even love her… and now that I'm being trained to take on the throne when I inherit it, and she has to support her family because of her mom getting sick, we never see each other that much. And when we do… there isn't very much to say."

Yami stared at Yugi as the boy looked like he was about to break down and cry, tears threatening to fall from the corners of his large amethyst eyes. He had his fists clenched as he trembled a bit—the memories still burned in him like an inferno. Yami tried to tread softly; he did not want to upset his guardian any further.

"Yugi, I'm sorry" he said. "It must still hurt, your heart. That I can understand—I felt the same way when I woke up from my slumber to find my parents dead, my friends dead. Are you still okay with me dating Anzu the way I am? I'll stop if you want me to."

Yami realized what he was saying and nearly kicked himself. Stop seeing Anzu? What was he, _insane_? After only the short time he had spent with the girl she was like his drug—she cured the ache in his heart when he thought about his old life. Every time he thought about his friends, Kaiba, his castle, his mother and father, all gone and lost to him, all he had to do was think of Anzu and Yugi, and that's when he knew that there was something to live for in this new life—if it wasn't for them he would have killed himself already to be with his loved ones of the ancient times.

Yugi looked up at him, his purple orbs wide with shock. "You… would do that… for me?" he gaped. Yami nodded solemnly.

"Yes Yugi, I would. If it would make you happy, I would top seeing Anzu and would wait for you to introduce us properly. Besides, if she still thinks I'm you, then having you see her instead wouldn't be much of a problem. I would be fine with it." _Actually it will kill me, but it would be better than seeing Yugi like he is now_….

The young Onimodian prince gazed at Yami, his tears still in his eyes had he had yet to let them go. He knew what Anzu meant to him, and to sacrifice all that just for his happiness… Yugi let the tears run free along his face, and he smiled warmly as he gazed upon Yami. He shook his head firmly.

"No Yami… you can keep seeing her. I know how you feel about Anzu, and I think, she might feel the same about you." Yami was about to object but Yugi brought a hand up to silence the blushing teen. "I want you both to be happy… what kind of friend would I be if I didn't do that? And I'm just being naïve again… what happened between me and Anzu is in the past, and this is the present. I shouldn't dwell on memories that should be forgiven, and long forgotten." Yugi wiped away the tears from his face, and with a soft laugh he held a hand in front of Yami. Yami looked at the hand, surprised, but then nodded and firmly shook it.

"Thank you, Yugi. I know how important this is, and I will always be good to Anzu."

"You better be—if I find out you hurt Anzu I will come after you and—"

"Wait, who said I would _ever_ do anything to Anzu? I love her, I would never—" Yami slammed his hands over his mouth and blushed so dark red it looked as though he had severely burned himself. Did he just say _love_, out loud and to Yugi? From the look on Yugi's face—which was one of pure amusement and giggles—he must have.

"Well, that settles _that_, then!" he said cheerfully, as he got a hold of another piece of bread and munched on it feverishly. "Now, how about you cough up some details on how the rest of that date went? I'm dying to know—"

Their friendly conversation was interrupted by a loud knocking. Both Yami and Yugi jumped up out of their seats, galvanized—they both looked to the door, but quickly discovered that the pounding was actually coming from the closet!

Yami jerked, nearly choking on his food. "What the—"

"Hey Yug!" a youthful voice spoke from behind the closet door. Yami stared at the door questioningly, where as Yugi' eyes became wide with recognition.

"Jou!" he asked, his voice almost stuttering. A hearty laugh came from the other side of the closet.

"So, ya remember me? I'm glad—we haven't seen each other in such a long time I figured you wouldn't know me from any other bum!" Another laugh, followed by his voice again. "Well, I'm glad you can actually make it to the sand dunes with us today for that race we've been meaning to have!"

The voice paused as if waiting for a response. The silence was a fitting reply.

"You _do_ remember, don't cha Yug? I mean you told Anzu it would be okay, so I figured it was all well."

"Um… yeah, sure…." Yugi looked at Yami suspiciously, to which Yami edged away a little at his now glaring companion. "You wanna come in?"

"Yeah, as soon as you unlock this closet door!" The voice known as Jou sounded very enthusiastic about the offer.

"Okay, just wait a second!" replied Yugi, who was now advancing on Yami. Yami slowly backed up, now fearing for his own safety. In a harsh whisper Yugi spoke. "_What didn't you tell me_?"

"Huh?"

"You _must_ have said _something_ to Anzu so that Jonouchi would come here. Did you agree to go windsurfing with Jou!"

Yami searched his mind for some clue as to what Yugi was talking about, but came up empty. Suddenly the memory of him and Anzu before they drifted off to sleep emerged from his clouded thoughts and the light bulb went off in his head. Not a good thing.

"Oh… that."

"What do you mean, 'oh that'! This is very bad, AGAIN. I have to go for my mage training, and my grandfather expects me to be in the dining hall to discuss some other stuff today… I can't turn that down or he will have my head!" Yugi sighed. "I guess you'll just have to go in my place again…."

It was Yami's turn to be surprised. "Wh-What? Again?"

"It was your choice to say yes, Yami. Now you have to live up to your own actions." Yugi wagged his finger in front of Yami, and the older slumped his shoulders.

"But I was half asleep… that's almost the equivalent of being drunk!" Yami protested in a whisper. "I had no idea what I said or Anzu said. And I've never met… Jonouchi …before! How do I act? What do I do?"

"Well, here's your chance to meet Jonouchi now" Yugi replied in a mocking tone. "And just be yourself, but be me at the same time. It shouldn't be too hard."

Yami blinked owlishly. "What! You just made no sense—"

"Hey, anybody home!" Jou said impatiently. "C'mon Yug! I don't like wind surfin' in the dark, and neither does Honda!"

"Honda? Who the hell is Honda!" Yami said in a whisper. "I thought it was just Jou!"

"Honda's just Jou friend, and mine too, somewhat. He's alright, trust me." Yugi then pointed to a small pile of sand-colored clothes in corner. "Quick, put that on. You can't wear the royal clothes outside—they get covered sand and the maids have a fit."

Yami, still in a state of near nausea, quickly tossed off his purple and gold robes and threw on the plain civilian clothes Yugi offered him. A sharp knock came from the closet once again. "Ready yet, Yug?"

Yugi hinted to Yami to stay silent. "Almost" Yugi responded.

A slight groan, followed by, "You know what, Yug? I'll just wait down by the entrance. Come on down when you're ready!" There was the thud of feet as the boy known as Jonouchi as he headed for the secret tunnel, and then the sound of a door slamming as the steel tunnel door was closed. Yugi looked at Yami.

"You ready?" he asked, as he motioned Yami towards the door.

"No, but thanks for asking" Yami replied sourly a he glanced at his companion. "Hey, this Jonouchi said something about windsurfing or whatever. What is this windsurfing?"

"Oh, windsurfing is where you stand on a board that has a sail attached to it. You can ride the wind along the sand. It's pretty easy for someone like Jou or Honda—me, I prefer games and puzzles. I'm not very athletic, so I kinda suck at windsurfing." Though Yugi held a nervous smile to his face and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, it was obvious to Yami the disappointment in his eyes.

"We had something similar to this 'windsurfing' in my time" Yami commented. "It was called mountain boarding, and you would ride on a board down the rough mountain slope. And there was also sledding and snow boarding, if it was winter and we had a hard enough blizzard. I used to do it all the time, and so did Kai—" Yami paused as he felt the name hang in his throat, cutting into him.

_Kaiba_… he thought sadly.

"Well, you better hurry up, Yami! If you keep Jou waiting… well, he doesn't like it very much." Yugi opened the closet door leading to the dark abyss of the passageway.

"Is that it?" Yami held himself firm against the doorway, trying to stay inside, but Yugi managed to push him in anyways, forcing him into the dark room.

"Yup, pretty much! Have a nice time!" With that, Yugi shut the door and left Yami in the silent blackness of the closet. Alone in the room, Yami sighed as he turned around and reluctantly opened the tunnel's steel door.

---

Author's Note: _Yea, Yami's stuck with Jou and Honda now! Imagine the chaos!_

_I'll update soon, my loyal fans! I love you guys SO MUCH! Thanks for all your constant reviewing, it makes me SO HAPPY! (Wee, sugar high!) _


	17. A Note to All My Readers

Hi there everyone.

It's been a long time since I've updated this story, or any of my other multi-chapter fanfictions. I'm at two years remission from finishing chemo, and I've graduated high school, so yeah, that really is a long time later. While it brings me nothing but ill feelings to say it, I don't think I can continue these stories any longer. Whatever plot or writing plans I had for these works has disintegrated, and if I did try to update now the stories would only be shells of their former selves. It would be more of a disappointment than anything.

I'm sorry to all of you who have been so faithful with your reviews and favorites. I know you've been waiting a while for me to continue, but these pieces really have died on me, and anything I pull up now would be crap. I'm just sending this to let you know this, and that I will no longer visit this account.

Again, I apologize. T__T I really don't want to do this, but my clinging onto any of finishing these stories is useless.

I'm glad you have enjoyed what was written thus far. It makes me happy to know how much you liked my work.

I wish you all best of luck in your own projects. Thank you for what you have given me.

Sincerely,

Angel's Nocturne


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